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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi, by 
+Harry Gordon
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi
+       On the Trail to the Gulf
+
+Author: Harry Gordon
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2012 [EBook #38617]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS ON MISSISSIPPI ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was
+produced from scanned images of public domain material
+from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: On the top of the ridge-boards, the lads saw a
+half-dressed negro boy.]
+
+
+
+
+THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS
+ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+OR
+
+On the Trail to the Gulf
+
+By HARRY GORDON
+
+Author of
+
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Amazon,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Ohio."
+
+A. L. BURT COMPANY
+
+NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1913
+
+By A. L. Burt Company
+
+THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+  I--A Rambler Reception Day
+  II--Alex. Goes Fishing
+  III--A Waif from the River
+  IV--Two Boys Get a Tumble
+  V--A New Captain on Board
+  VI--Captain Joe Makes a Hit
+  VII--Searching for the _Rambler_
+  VIII--Faces at the Window
+  IX--Red Declines to Talk
+  X--More River Outlaws
+  XI--Fire-Faces on the Island
+  XII--Half Full of Diamonds
+  XIII--A River Robber in a New Role
+  XIV--Alex. Breaks Furniture
+  XV--The Leather Bag Missing
+  XVI--What Dropped on Deck
+  XVII--Getting out of the Mud
+  XVIII--Swept Into a Swamp
+  XIX--Pilgrims from Old Chicago
+  XX--The Darkey up the Tree
+  XXI--Dodging a Police Boat
+  XXII--The Sheriff Knows a Lot
+  XXIII--A Night in New Orleans
+  XXIV--Something Doing All the Time
+  XXV--Commonplace, After All
+
+
+
+
+THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A RAMBLER RECEPTION DAY
+
+
+A white bulldog of ferocious aspect lay sound asleep under a small
+table. Lying across the dog's neck, with his soft muzzle hidden
+between capable paws, was a quarter-grown grizzly bear. Now and then
+Captain Joe, as the dog was named, stirred uneasily in his sleep, as
+if in remonstrance at the liberties which Teddy, the cub, was taking
+with his person. The bulldog and the cub snored in unison!
+
+The table under which the animals slept stood in the middle of the
+small cabin of the motor boat _Rambler_, and the _Rambler_ was pulling
+at her anchor chain in the muddy water of the Mississippi
+river--pulling and jerking for all the world like a fat pig with a
+ring in his nose trying to get rid of the line which held him in
+captivity.
+
+Although early in November, there were wandering flakes of snow in the
+air, and a chill wind from the northwest was sweeping over the
+Mississippi valley. There had been several days of continuous rain,
+and, at Cairo, where the motor boat lay, both the Mississippi and the
+Ohio rivers were out of their banks.
+
+In spite of the wind and snow, however, the cabin of the _Rambler_ was
+cozy and warm. In front of the table where the bulldog and the young
+bear lay stood a coal stove, on the top of which two boys of sixteen,
+Clayton Emmett and Alexander Smithwick, were cooking ham and eggs, the
+appetizing flavor of which filled the little room. A dish of sliced
+potatoes stood not far away, and over the cherry-red coils of an
+electric stove at the rear of the cabin a great pot of coffee was
+sizzling and adding its fragrance to rich contributions of the frying
+pan.
+
+While the boys, growing hungrier every second, stirred the fire and
+laid the table, footsteps were heard on the forward deck of the motor
+boat, and then, without even announcing his presence by a knock, a
+roughly-dressed man of perhaps forty years stepped into the cabin and
+stood for a moment staring at the bulldog and the bear, stood with a
+hand on the knob of the door, as if ready for retreat, his lips open,
+as if the view of the interior had checked words half spoken. Alex.
+Smithwick regarded the man for a moment with a flash of anger in his
+eyes, then he caught the humor of the situation and resolved to punish
+the intruder for his impudence in walking into the cabin without a bit
+of ceremony.
+
+"Look out for the bulldog and the bear!" he warned. "They consumed two
+river-men last week! The bulldog tears 'em down, an' the bear eats
+'em!"
+
+"What kind of a menagerie is this?" began the visitor, but Alex. gave
+the bulldog a touch with his foot, and the dog and the bear were in
+the middle of the space between the table and the stove, snarling
+fiercely, before the startled intruder could open the door. "Call the
+brutes off!" he added as Teddy began boxing the empty air.
+
+"Don't stand in the doorway!" Alex. warned, while Clay Emmett turned
+his face away so as not to betray his enjoyment of the situation. "It
+makes 'em mad to keep the door open! What do you want?"
+
+The visitor stepped outside and beckoned to the boys through the glass
+panel. Alex. went out on the deck and stood waiting. The visitor was
+evidently a riverman, tall, muscular, heavy of hand and sullen of
+face. He wore rough clothing, neither clean nor whole, and his face
+was well covered by a bushy beard, light in color except around the
+mouth, where it was stained with tobacco. Alex. noted that he looked
+away whenever their eyes met for an instant.
+
+"I'm Gid Brent, the riverman," he said, in a moment, "and I've come to
+warn you boys against starting out alone, on the river in this boat."
+
+"That's kind of you," Alex. replied. "What's the matter with the
+boat?"
+
+"It is the river there's something the matter with," replied the
+other. "The water is high, and is pouring into all the old channels
+and ditches from Cairo to the Gulf. If you start out without a pilot,
+you'll run into some bayou and end in a swamp, a couple of hundred
+miles from the main channel."
+
+"You're a pilot, eh?" asked Alex., with a provoking grin.
+
+"Yes; and I'm called the best on the river," was the boasting reply.
+
+"And you're looking for a job?" Alex. continued, insinuatingly.
+
+"I might accept the right kind of a job," Brent replied, "but I
+shouldn't want any menagerie on board with me. Where are you boys
+going?"
+
+"Oh, well," Alex. said, gravely, though there was fun in his eyes, "if
+you object to our pets, that settles it! We brought Captain Joe, the
+bulldog, from the Amazon, and Teddy Bear, the cub, from British
+Columbia."
+
+"Oh, if they're tame!" the other exclaimed. "I might----"
+
+"I'll call 'em out an' see what they say to you!" Alex. replied,
+mischief in his eyes, opening the cabin door and inviting the bulldog
+and the bear out to the deck!
+
+Captain Joe snarled at the man's feet and Teddy Bear stood up and
+squared off in front of him in a boxing attitude! Brent swung toward
+the little pier against which the motor boat lay, and the animals,
+thus encouraged, sprang at him.
+
+In a minute the pilot was on the pier, racing toward the shore as if
+for his life! Clay came out on deck and both boys stood laughing at
+the retreating figure. Presently Brent came to an old warehouse, where
+security might be found in an open doorway. Here he stopped and turned
+back, shaking a fist at the grinning lads.
+
+"I'll be even with you for that!" he shouted. "I'll teach you to set
+your dog on me, you miserable little bum-boat tramps! I'll show you!"
+
+"Get him, Captain Joe!" cried Alex., angry at the impertinent language
+used, but Clay caught the bulldog by the collar and held him back.
+
+"All right!" smiled Alex. "Let the tramp go, if you want to! Anyway,
+I'm about half starved! Funny, Case and Jule don't get back! They've
+been gone three hours!"
+
+"They'll get cold beans for supper if they don't show up pretty soon!"
+Clay said, turning back to the cabin. "The ham and eggs and potatoes
+are just done!"
+
+Even as Alex. closed the cabin door behind himself, running footsteps
+were heard, and the next moment two boys of about his own age,
+Cornelius Witters and Julian Shafer, made their appearance, racing off
+the pier and on to the deck of the motor boat like young colts. They
+dashed into the cabin and dropped down into seats at the table.
+
+"What's the matter with the fellow at the head of the pier?" Case
+Witters asked. "He called to us not to come down here! Said there was
+a crazy boy, a mad dog and a grizzly loose in the boat! Guess you got
+him peeved, didn't you?"
+
+"He's too fresh!" Alex. responded. "He came on board as if he owned
+the boat, and then had the nerve to tell us that we'd get lost if we
+went down the river without a pilot! He wanted a pilot's job! We
+should have given Captain Joe a bite out of him!"
+
+"Did he say he was a pilot?" asked Jule Shafer, with a wink at Case.
+
+"Sure thing he did!" answered Alex. "Said he was the best on the
+river!"
+
+"Well," Case began, "if he is a pilot he is out of practice! I heard
+him asking a man about the passage from Hickman to Reelfoot lake. When
+we went up-town that same man who spoke to us on the pier stood on the
+levee with a bunch of toughs. Their heads were together, as if they
+were planning mischief. I thought they looked at Jule and I in a
+strange way, too!"
+
+"I don't believe he ever came on board to get a job!" Jule broke in.
+"He's a spy! That's just what he is, and I wish Captain Joe had eaten
+him up!"
+
+"But why should he come spying here?" asked Clay. "We're not river
+thieves!"
+
+"Well, there's something odd going on at Cairo!" Case asserted. "There
+are crowds on the streets, and the policemen seem to be on their
+metal! I guess we would have been locked up as suspects if we hadn't
+had on pretty good clothes!"
+
+"Why didn't you ask some one to tell you about it?" demanded Alex.
+
+"We did," Jule answered, "and got our trouble for our pains! There's
+been a warehouse robbery up the river somewhere, but I don't see why
+that should make such a stir down here at Cairo. The merchant I
+ordered the gasoline of said that $100,000 in diamonds and furs had
+been taken, and that a watchman who resisted had been seriously
+wounded."
+
+"Perhaps they think we're the thieves!" suggested Clay.
+
+"I shouldn't wonder if they did," Case grinned. "Anyway, the men I
+talked with seemed to have loose shingles--they acted that way, all
+right!"
+
+"Loose shingles!" cried Alex. "You'll wash dishes for a week for that!
+Loose shingles is slang, and we're not to talk slang. If you wanted to
+indicate a slant in the belfry, why didn't you say----"
+
+"Slant in the belfry!" roared Case. "Guess that isn't slang! I'll have
+plenty of help washing dishes, all right. S-a-a-y, listen to that,
+will you!"
+
+As the boy spoke he lifted a hand for silence, and the four sat at the
+table silent and motionless. It was growing dusk now, and the deck of
+the motor boat showed dim under the gathering shadows of the night.
+While the lads sat there, listening, Captain Joe, the bulldog, ran to
+the closed door and sniffed suspiciously.
+
+"There's some one out on deck!" Case exclaimed, then. "I wonder if
+that fellow has had the nerve to come back here? I'll go and see who
+it is, anyway."
+
+"Why don't you wait and see what he will do?" asked Clay. "If he
+thinks we're the robbers, he'll show himself directly. If it is only a
+sneak thief, he'll take a jump in the river the minute he knows we are
+aware of his presence on the deck. Give him a chance!"
+
+Then three words came in a whisper from the outside of the door. They
+were spoken in a trembling voice, accompanied by a soft knock on the
+lower panel.
+
+"Let me in!" the voice said. It seemed like the voice of a child, too.
+
+"Come on in, if you want to!" Alex. answered. "This seems to be our
+reception day!"
+
+"Sure! Come on in! Don't be so mysterious about it, whoever you are!"
+
+As he spoke Case arose and opened the door. Instantly there tumbled
+into the cabin a boy of twelve or fourteen--a slender, thin-faced lad
+whose whole appearance indicated little food and little parental care.
+He did not rise to his feet.
+
+"Well, what is it?" asked Clay, taking the intruder by the arm. "Why
+don't you get up and introduce yourself? What do you want here,
+anyway?"
+
+"Don't switch on the light!" the boy pleaded, as Clay stretched his
+hand toward the electric switch. "They are watching the boat from the
+pier, and I don't want them to know I got in. That's why I didn't
+stand up when the door was opened. The railing of the deck protected
+me from the view of any one up there. I'm running away!"
+
+"You look the part!" Clay observed, motioning the visitor to a chair.
+"Why?"
+
+"Because they'll make me tell who stole the diamonds and furs up at
+Rock Island," was the hesitating reply. "They'll put me in jail if I
+don't tell!"
+
+"If you know and won't tell," Clay observed, "they surely will put you
+in jail!"
+
+"Why won't you tell?" asked Alex. "Perhaps you helped do the job
+yourself!"
+
+"No I didn't!" the boy said.
+
+He was about to say more when there came another voice from outside--a
+slow, steady voice demanding attention.
+
+"Listen, you kids in there," the voice said. "Listen, and I'll tell
+you what to do to save a couple of lives!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+ALEX. GOES FISHING
+
+
+"Things seem to be coming our way!" Alex. observed. "Can either of you
+boys see the fellow who is doing the talking?"
+
+Clay stepped to the cabin door and opened it. The night had fallen
+swiftly, and the deck was quite dark. The boy started toward the
+switch which controlled the prow light, but the voice checked him,
+coming, not from the pier, but from the water at the side of the motor
+boat.
+
+"Don't turn on any lights!" the voice said. "I'm right here under the
+overhang. I came to ask you to do me a favor! You look like decent
+sort of chaps!"
+
+"Thanks for the compliment!" Alex. put in, from the cabin door, where
+he stood with a freckled nose wrinkled to its full capacity--and then
+a little more!
+
+"Keep still a minute, can't you?" demanded Clay. "Let us see what it
+is the man wants us to do for him. Why don't you come on deck?" the
+boy added, bending over in the hope of getting a view of the strange
+visitor.
+
+"I don't come on deck," was the reply, "because I'm not lookin' for
+trouble! I'm in bad here, strangers, an' I want you to take the boy
+down the river with you!"
+
+The lad who had recently come on board now came up to the cabin door
+and stood in a listening attitude. In the deep dusk his face could not
+be seen plainly, but Alex., who stood close to his side, knew that he
+was shaking with the chill of the water.
+
+"The boy says he is running away," objected Clay, bending still lower
+over the deck railing. "We are not going to aid in any such a game,"
+he added.
+
+"Shucks!" came the answer, still from the water. "He ain't got nobody
+nor nothin' to run away from, that kid ain't! Hide him until you get
+out of Cairo, an' then I may be able to do something for him."
+
+"What's the answer?" Alex. cut in. "Why should he want to be hidden?
+Perhaps you're the man that robbed the warehouse at Rock Island! He
+just told us that he knew who did it! Come on deck, and we'll talk it
+over."
+
+"If you want to get away from Cairo without sampling all the jails in
+the county," the unseen man continued, "you'll slip anchor an' get
+down the river right soon! The men who are watchin' you are comin'
+down the pier now. I reckon they saw me talking from the bosom of the
+river. Before I duck under an' head for Missouri, I'll tell you that
+the kid you've got there is O. K. Take him along with you!"
+
+Then, much to the amazement of the boys on the motor boat, a shot came
+out of the darkness in the direction of the pier, and a bullet cut the
+water close to where the man lay, near the prow, half afloat and half
+clinging to the hull of the _Rambler_.
+
+"You see!" the unseen man said. "Drop down until this excitement is
+over!"
+
+"That's a cheerful kind of a merman," Alex. declared. "He heard the
+shot and took his own advice to disappear, anyway! What do you think
+of him? Heading a lot of gunmen in this direction an' then advising us
+to run away!"
+
+For a moment nothing was heard save the sighing of the wind and the
+wash of the river. Lights were showing in the city, which was not far
+from the pier, and one large street lamp disclosed the figures of a
+dozen men running toward the motor boat! The man who had done the
+shooting stood near the foot of the pier, a revolver in his hand. Clay
+sprang for the switch which controlled the prow light.
+
+"That's more like it!" came a voice from the shore, as the light
+flared out on the cluttered pier and the swirling waters of the river.
+"Why didn't you do that before?"
+
+"Quit your shooting and come on board!" Clay advised. "We understand
+the use of firearms ourselves! Come aboard and tell us what all this
+is about."
+
+"We'll come, fast enough!" said one of the advancing party. "Keep your
+lights on."
+
+In a minute more the little motor boat was crowded with rough-looking
+men, all armed, and all insisting that every nook and corner of the
+_Rambler_ should be searched.
+
+The boys offered no objections, but sat on the deck railing waiting
+for the men to perform their task and go away. Captain Joe and Teddy,
+however, objected strenuously, and it required the efforts of all
+four, before the search was completed, to keep the pets from being
+shot by those whose legs had been nipped by sharp teeth.
+
+Finally one of the men, who seemed to be in command, demanded of Clay:
+
+"Where did the boy who came on board go?"
+
+"He must have gone into the river," was the reply. "Just after the
+shooting I looked for him, but he was not here. Who is he, and what is
+he wanted for?"
+
+"He belongs to the man who robbed the warehouse office up at Rock
+Island," was the gruff reply. "If you shelter him you'll be breaking
+the law. What was that swimmer saying to you?" the fellow continued.
+"That's the man we want! Why should he come to you, anyway?"
+
+"I don't know why he should come to us any more than I know why you
+men should come on board with your insulting suspicions," Clay
+answered. "When you make up your minds that neither the man nor the
+boy is here, we'll go on down the river."
+
+The search continued for some moments, and the men reluctantly went
+ashore.
+
+"Honest!" Alex. then asked of Clay. "Honest, now! Where did the boy
+go?"
+
+"He must have taken a jump into the river," was the boy's reply. "He
+certainly is not on board the _Rambler_. He just disappeared when
+those men appeared."
+
+"Then he's probably drowned!" Alex. commented. "No one could swim long
+in that current. And the man, too, probably went under! Too bad!" he
+added, soberly.
+
+"Well," Clay declared, "I've got enough of the hospitality of this
+city. Suppose we drop down to-night? It will be risky sailing because
+of the flood, but at the same time it may keep us all out of jail.
+Those men may come back after they get a few more drinks."
+
+The _Rambler_ was a staunch little motor boat, fully competent to make
+her way in almost any body of water, but the boys were afraid of
+driftwood and wreckage, and also of running off into bayous which ran
+out into swamps for miles, with almost as strong a current as the main
+channel. Those who have read previous volumes of this series will
+doubtless recall the adventures of the four boys in Brazil on the
+Amazon river, on the Columbia river, far up in British Columbia, and
+on the Colorado river, as far up as the Grand Canyon.
+
+A month before that night in Cairo, the boys had launched the motor
+boat on the Mississippi far up near its source. They had struggled
+with sandbars and falls, but had at last worked round the Falls of St.
+Anthony and struck better water. They had met with plenty of
+adventures on the way, but nothing of the character of the happenings
+of that evening. The portion of their journey really worthy of record
+begins at Cairo on this early November night.
+
+The pets, of which the boys were very fond, had, as already stated by
+one of the boys, been acquired in Brazil and British Columbia, Captain
+Joe having been bought by Alex. at Para, and Teddy having been rescued
+from a tree wreck in the great river of the north. Both animals had
+been taught all sorts of tricks by the boys.
+
+"That's all right, about our being in danger here," Case observed,
+"but, at the same time, if we leave now, in the night, with the river
+up, we shall only confirm the suspicions of those on shore. Suppose we
+move away from this pier, so as to be out of the way of the mob, and
+anchor in another place, where those whose duty it is to look up
+suspicious river boats can find us if they desire to? For one, I don't
+like the idea of being chased down the river."
+
+"Solomon had nothing on you!" Alex. agreed. "We may as well remain
+here until morning. I must confess that I don't like the way the
+Father of Waters is acting!"
+
+"Well, let us get somewhere and settle down for the night!" Jule
+suggested. "I'm still hungry! Those fellows spoiled my supper. Who
+wants more ham?"
+
+"Say," Alex. cried, with one of his inimitable grins, "why not have a
+fish for supper? I won't be able to sleep much, on account of
+watching, and may as well have a good square meal! Then I'll sit up
+and you boys can go to bed."
+
+"Where can you get a fish to-night?" demanded Jule. "Think one is
+going to climb up on the deck? Ham is good enough for me right now!"
+
+But Alex. did not abandon the idea of having a fish supper. After the
+_Rambler_ had been taken a short distance up the river and anchored in
+a little bay which promised protection from the rushing current,
+loaded at times with driftwood and the wreck of houses and barns, the
+lad again broached the subject.
+
+"I can get the rowboat out," he insisted, "and let her down stream
+with a line. Then I can fish under that bank to the east. Don't you
+ever think all the river fish have moved into top flats because of the
+flood! I saw one jump up just a moment ago! You boys keep a good fire
+and I'll guarantee to bring the fish!"
+
+"Go it!" Clay laughed. "I wouldn't go out in a rowboat for a dozen
+fish suppers, but you seem to have the luck of the Irish on such
+occasions, so get to going!"
+
+"You'll eat the fish, all right!" Alex. taunted, "so help me get the
+boat down."
+
+The skiff was lowered from the roof of the little cabin and placed in
+the water, with a great splash. It tugged and strained at the cord
+which held it, and now and then received severe bumps from floating
+debris, but Alex. insisted on drawing it up and jumping in. Then he
+set about getting his fish for supper!
+
+For a long time the boy fished without receiving any intimation that
+there was a fish left in the river! The boat caught plenty of
+driftwood, however. At times great masses of trees and timbers would
+go sailing down, advancing out of the darkness into the circle of
+light about the _Rambler_ as if brought to life by the presence of
+mankind. Then the darkness would receive them again and the water
+would run clear for a time.
+
+The little bay where the _Rambler_ was moored was in a measure out of
+the sweep of the strong current, still the water eddied and swirled
+around the little rowboat in a threatening manner. Sometimes the boy
+had all he could do to keep the craft from turning turtle and dumping
+him into the river. The other boys, watching from the deck of the
+motor boat, often called to him to draw up on the line in order to
+avoid a mass of wreckage drifting that way.
+
+The strong, high prow-light of the motor boat cast a sharp
+illumination over the river for some distance up stream, revealing the
+approach of dangerous wreckage, and the lone fisherman was often glad
+to heed the warnings of his chums. At last, however, just as he was
+playing a fish which seemed to him as large as a whale, and twice as
+ferocious, he heard a call which he disregarded for a second.
+
+"There's a roof coming down!" Clay shouted to the boy. "It is likely
+to pay you a visit! Better come aboard!"
+
+"And there's something moving on it!" Jule shouted. "It looks like a
+baby!"
+
+Alex. was busy with his line. The fish supper was almost in sight! If
+he heard what was said to him he did not heed the warning, for he kept
+on playing his fish, which seemed inclined to take the rowboat down
+the river to the Gulf of Mexico!
+
+The piece of roof to which the boys pointed swung around the side of
+the _Rambler_ and was pulled in toward the shore by the eddy which had
+drawn so many lesser objects in. Then, for the first time, Alex. saw
+his danger. If the mass struck the boat it might crush it. At the very
+least it would be likely to break the line with which it was attached
+to the _Rambler_ and send him adrift!
+
+The boy seized the cable and began to draw the boat up to the
+_Rambler_, seeking protection under its bulk. Then he heard a cry come
+from the raft, and saw a mite of a boy reaching out his hands. The
+boat dropped back and the mass, edging in below the _Rambler_, struck
+it full on the prow!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A WAIF FROM THE RIVER
+
+
+The cable tying the rowboat to the _Rambler_ parted with a snap as the
+wreckage struck the light craft, and Alex. went rocking and bobbing
+down toward the Gulf of Mexico! The boys on the _Rambler_ saw him get
+out an oar to secure steerway, though he was pressed on by the house
+roof which had done the mischief.
+
+It was not a flat roof, but one with two steep sides and a sharp apex.
+It rode the current apex up, as if floating on a floor crossing under
+the eaves. On the top of the ridge-boards, clinging on with hands and
+bare heels, and shouting fit to wake the people of Cairo, the lads on
+the _Rambler_ saw a half-dressed negro boy of perhaps ten or eleven
+years. The more the roof bobbed on the waves the louder he yelled.
+
+When the line snapped Clay rushed to the motors and turned on full
+power. The _Rambler_ trembled as she thrust her nose against the
+current, wavered, and then, answering her helm, swung around broadside
+to the sweep of water, shook a mass of wreckage from her prow, as a
+dog shakes off water, and edged down stream.
+
+In a minute after the accident the powerful motor boat was chasing
+Alex., the little negro boy, and the teetering roof down toward
+Memphis! It was dark on the river, and the roaring of the waters made
+the prospect doubly disagreeable. The current was running fast, and
+that one minute of getting under way had swept the rowboat some
+distance down stream. Still it was just visible under the strong prow
+light.
+
+"There's Alex.'s fish!" shouted Chase, pointing to the cowering negro
+boy on the apex of the roof. "Wonder how he wants him cooked for
+supper?"
+
+"The last find Alex. made," Jule laughed, "was a bear! What will he be
+finding next? S-a-a-y, you coon!" he called out, shaping his hands for
+a trumpet in order to direct his voice, "don't you go to dropping off!
+We'll pick you up with the motor boat," he continued, as the little
+fellow began scrambling toward the water's edge.
+
+"There he goes!" shouted Clay, as the negro boy, not heeding Jule's
+directions, went clattering down the shingles and dropped into the
+river. "The little fellow was afraid we would go away and leave him!
+What do you think of that?" he added. "The coon is swimming like a
+fish to the rowboat!"
+
+The boy would have reached the rowboat handily if a heavy piece of
+timber had not intervened. It struck him head-on as he swam, and he
+went under the brown waters. Then the boys on the _Rambler_ saw Alex.
+throw off his coat, take the broken line between his teeth, and dive
+into the river, just missing the great timber as he went headfirst
+into the flood! There was a growl and a snarl on deck, and then
+Captain Joe and Teddy Bear were both in the river, swimming down
+toward the swaying roof.
+
+The bulldog, with the instinct of the intelligent canine, doubtless
+recognized the peril of the situation and took to the water on an
+errand of rescue, but with the bear it was different. He had been
+patiently taught to bathe and play in the water with the boys, and now
+he saw only a frolic ahead!
+
+However this may be, it was the bear cub who seized the negro boy as
+he came to the surface, half supported by Alex.'s arm. The little
+fellow had not been rendered unconscious by the blow he had received,
+and was able to sustain himself in the water as soon as he came to the
+surface.
+
+Alex. was busy hauling the boat back, or trying to, with the end of
+the line in one hand, and Captain Joe swam directly to him. He knew
+that if he released the line the rowboat would drift away, leaving him
+and his companions to be rescued by the _Rambler_, and he had a
+stubborn notion that he would like to get out of the mess without the
+assistance of his chums! They would then have no opportunity to make
+sly remarks about his skill as a fisherman! The fishline was wound
+around his left arm, and he believed that the fish he had been playing
+when the accident took place was still on the hook!
+
+The situation was clearing, for Alex. held to the line, and boy, bear,
+dog, and frightened negro boy, were doing very well in the swift
+current when another mass of wreckage came sweeping down upon them. As
+it came down Alex. dove under, and the negro boy started to do the
+same, but just then his eyes fell on the bear, hanging to his arm, and
+with a scream which only half disclosed how scared he was he scrambled
+on the floating heap of brush and was swept down stream!
+
+His round eyes were, apparently, as large as saucers and as white as
+chalk as he turned to see Teddy Bear pursuing him to his place of
+refuge. Familiar with the water game, the bear chased the negro boy to
+the limit of the wreckage and pushed him in with his nose. By this
+time Alex. was clinging to the rowboat, with Captain Joe serving as
+chaperon, and the _Rambler_ was at hand, the boys on board cheering
+Teddy and the negro boy as they chased around the brush heap from
+which they had been pitched into the river. Although they called out
+to the boy not to be afraid of the bear, his cries rose above the roar
+of the waters!
+
+Alex. and Captain Joe were picked up first, the rowboat made secure,
+and then the _Rambler_ rounded the floating mass of brush and took
+Teddy on board. The little fellow scrambled away from the hands
+reached out to grasp him, his eyes following the figure of the bear as
+it was lifted on deck.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" he gasped, his eyes round and white, "don' yo'
+feed dis coon to dat bear! He sure done eat dis chile!"
+
+When passed up to the deck the boy gave one look at the bear, let out
+another yell of fright, and, ducking into the cabin, dodged under the
+table, where he crouched on hands and knees, his eyes sticking out
+like white doorknobs. The boys were too full of laugh for the time
+being to try to explain matters to him.
+
+As soon as Alex. was on deck he began unwinding the fishline from his
+arm. Then he played it over the side of the boat, much to the
+amusement of his chums.
+
+"Perhaps you think I didn't catch a fish?" the lad demanded, with a
+wink at Clay.
+
+"If you didn't get a fish," laughed Clay, "it is about the only thing
+you didn't bring out of the river with you! We fished out a bear, a
+dog, and a baby coon with you! You surely ought to have a fish!"
+
+And Alex. did have a fish! It was firmly hooked, and came flopping out
+of the water when he drew in the line. Still under the table, with his
+eyes on the bear, the rescued negro boy licked his chops when he saw
+it. Clay observed the action and went to him. After a time the little
+fellow was coaxed out of his hiding-place.
+
+"That's a pet bear!" explained Clay. "He won't bite you!"
+
+The boy seemed to want to believe the other, for the sake of the fish
+supper which appeared to be coming soon, but he edged away from the
+cub, all the same!
+
+"You hungry?" asked Case, coming up.
+
+The little fellow nodded, and Case went on.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Abraham Lincoln Charles Sumner Horace Greeley Banks!"
+
+The little chap repeated the names in a sing-song tone, with the air
+of one who had been carefully drilled in the repetition. The boys
+broke into shouts of laughter, and even Teddy Bear nosed his way
+through the little group and stood gazing at the negro boy with
+reproving eyes! The boy tried to dodge away, but Clay held him fast.
+
+"Jerusalem!" Case cried, as soon as he could control his voice. "What
+a name! Where did you get it, chile?"
+
+"Mah mammy done 'stowed it on me!" was the reply.
+
+"Well, it is too long," Clay decided, "so we'll just call you Mose! Do
+you happen to be hungry, little one?" he added, with a glance at the
+fish.
+
+In answer the boy laid his hands on the region of his stomach and
+grinned.
+
+"Where do you live?" asked Alex., ringing the water out of his
+clothes, which had been removed as soon as he reached the deck. "What
+will your mammy say to your going off on the river? She'll wallop you,
+chile, good an' plenty!"
+
+"I done run away!" answered the boy.
+
+"That's two to-night!" grinned Alex., preparing to dress the fish for
+supper. "How many more are we likely to find before we get to the
+Gulf?"
+
+Teddy Bear, who seemed to feel that he was deserving of some attention
+for having rescued Mose from instant death in the river, now came up
+and brushed his soft nose over the boys' hand. Mose's eyes grew wider,
+but, seeing that the bear did not offer to bite, he ventured to stroke
+his head, whereat the cub sat up on his hind feet and asked to have a
+boxing lesson!
+
+"That bear is a spoiled child!" Case remarked, as Teddy began sparing.
+"He is no good at all--just a clown!"
+
+"Where did you run from?" asked Jule, anxious to know more of the
+negro boy.
+
+"San Louee," was the reply. "I done lived on th' levee!"
+
+"From St. Louis, eh?" Clay said. "Where do you want to go?"
+
+"I done hire out to you all," was the reply.
+
+"Of course!" Alex. laughed. "Didn't we bring him up out of the waters?
+He'll make a fine playmate for Teddy Bear!"
+
+"If he doesn't disappear, as that other waif did," smiled Clay.
+
+"Where do you suppose that boy went to?" asked Alex. "He never swam to
+shore, that is, to the other shore, and if he had landed on the pier
+when the men came on board they would certainly have seen him. I
+reckon the darkness just ate him!"
+
+"And the man who came to speak a good word for him!" Clay went on. "If
+he had been the thief wanted for the Rock Island diamond and fur
+robbery, he couldn't have been more mysterious. The boy said he would
+be made to tell about the robbery if they found him, and this man
+wanted to get him out of the way, so I guess we can put the pieces
+together and patch out the truth. The man is one of the robbers and
+the boy belongs to him!"
+
+"If I had the Sherlock genius you toss out so easily," Jule cut in,
+"I'd put it in a book. Why should the robber come to us to speak a
+good word for the boy? He ought to have known that we'd see through
+the game."
+
+"He may not be the robber at all," Case observed. "There was some
+mystery connected with the two, and that's all we know about it! The
+man is gone, and the boy is gone, and they are probably drowned, so we
+may as well count the story closed."
+
+"I'll go you a dinner at the Bismark, as soon as we get back to
+Chicago," Clay insisted, "that we find both the man and the boy before
+we get down to the Gulf!"
+
+"You're in for the dinners, then!" Case exclaimed. "And now," he went
+on, "what are we going to do to-night? Are we going on down the river,
+or are we going to get into some cozy little slip and anchor for the
+second time?"
+
+"I'm no good Solomon on an empty stomach," laughed Clay. "Wait until
+Alex. has his fish supper served! You want some, too, don't you Mose?"
+he added, turning to the little fellow, who stood gazing from the bear
+to the fish, now ready for the pan.
+
+"I's done gone empty cl'ar to mah toes!" was Mose's reply.
+
+After the fish had been eaten Mose was put to bed in one of the bunks,
+and the boys decided to go on down the river. They wanted to get away
+from any such entanglement as had been suggested by the visit of the
+officers and the search of the motor boat.
+
+They made a long distance with little trouble, as they were going with
+the driftwood, and at daylight tied up in a small bayou, at the end of
+which a deserted old house stood lowering down upon the flood with a
+touch of mystery in the broken windows and overhanging eaves!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+TWO BOYS GET A TUMBLE
+
+
+"I'd give a cent to know just where we are!" Jule declared, as he
+stood on the deck of the _Rambler_, waiting for Case's call to
+breakfast, the advance odors of which were creeping out of the cabin,
+where Mose and Teddy Bear lay on a rug together, evidently the very
+best of friends!
+
+"Give me the coin, then," Alex. exclaimed. "We are about ten or
+fifteen miles below Hickman, Kentucky, and we are on the Missouri
+side; and there's a loop of river which runs north a long way and
+comes back again. Some day the Mississippi will cut through the neck
+of land, and then there'll be another large island, with houses set
+back from the river a long distance! Give me the cent!"
+
+Jule gravely passed the coin over to Alex., who as gravely pocketed
+it, and drew Jule to a seat beside himself on the gunwale of the boat.
+Captain Joe came up to the boys as they sat there and wagged his tail,
+his nose pointing toward the deserted old house at the end of the
+bayou.
+
+"Do you see what the bulldog wants?" Alex. asked, in a moment.
+
+"He wants a run on shore," replied Jule. "He wants to get off the boat
+and do stunts on the grass. I'm with him in that, too!"
+
+"He's pointing to the old house!" Alex. suggested, with a grin.
+
+"Good idea!" winked Jule. "Suppose we go over to the ranch and see
+what sort of a place it is? We'll just sneak off after breakfast and
+be back in an hour."
+
+"Right," agreed Alex. "We may find a buried treasure! Or plunder from
+the Rock Island warehouse may be hidden in some dusty attic! What?
+That sounds like a story of John Paul Jones, out of a book!"
+
+"I reckon all we'll find will be rats," the practical Jule replied.
+"But I like to ramble over old houses. It evidently used to stand on
+the bank of the river, but some washout left it back so far that it
+was deserted. It looks like there might be ghosts hiding in it right
+now! Do you hear anything?" the boy added, as he bent his ear toward
+the neglected mansion, sinking to decay now for many a long year. "Do
+you hear anything that sounds uncanny? I thought I heard a ghost
+call!"
+
+"I half believe you mean it!" laughed Alex. "I believe you really
+think you hear something ghostly! If I were rich once for every ghost
+there is in the world, I wouldn't have a cent to my name! What does
+this ghost call sound like?" added the boy.
+
+"It sounded like a long, low call for help!" was the reply. "I believe
+all the calls from deserted houses are long and low, what?"
+
+"Right you are!" Alex. answered. "Say, what's the matter of taking
+Captain Joe with us when we go to the house? If there's a ghost behind
+the casings, he'll be certain to find and bring it out to us!"
+
+"Then I'm strong for Captain Joe!" cried Jule. "We'll bring the
+perturbed spirit on board and put it with our collection of animals!
+And there's the breakfast call, at last!" he continued, whereat both
+boys rushed into the cabin.
+
+Clay, who had been tinkering around the motors for half an hour,
+entered the cabin before breakfast was over, his face looking
+troubled, his clothing smeared with grease.
+
+"I have an idea that we'll stop here a few days until some one goes to
+one of the towns hereabouts and brings back some bolts," he said. "The
+motors are out of whack, and ought not to be operated in the shape
+they are in."
+
+"I'll go back to Hickman in the rowboat," declared Case. "I have a
+notion that I'd like to see the town."
+
+"And row against that current?" asked Alex. "I see you doing it!"
+
+"You couldn't do it in a thousand years!" Jule observed.
+
+"Well," Case went on, looking at his map of the river, "there's New
+Madrid, on the Missouri side. I might walk up there and back in a
+day."
+
+"Up there?" laughed Alex., looking over Case's shoulder. "Why do you
+say up there? New Madrid is north from here, all right, but it is down
+stream, for all that!"
+
+"Well, walk down there, then!" Case replied. "I want to learn
+something about that robbery anyway, and there may be news of it;
+besides, a walk along the river will be a sort of a picnic. It isn't
+more than ten or twelve miles to the town."
+
+"Then you'd better arrange to return to-morrow," Clay advised. "You
+are not used to such long walks. We are in no hurry to go on, for we
+have all the time there is until this time next year!"
+
+So it was finally arranged that Case should walk down to New Madrid
+and get the needed repairs for the motors, while the others looked
+over the country which lay about them. When Alex. suggested the visit
+to the deserted house, Clay was anxious to become one of the party. He
+said he had had the same idea in his mind ever since seeing the old
+place.
+
+"After Case goes," Jule suggested, "that would leave only Mose and
+Teddy Bear on board the _Rambler_. I don't believe it is safe to leave
+her alone."
+
+"Of course it isn't," Clay admitted, "so I'll remain here to-day and
+visit the old building to-morrow. Then you two boys can remain at
+home."
+
+Everything being satisfactorily arranged, Alex. and Jule started away
+up the bayou in the rowboat. The old basin was full of water, and so
+there was little current, which made it easy rowing. In half an hour
+they were at the foot of an old pier, slanting over on weak legs like
+a tipsy man. It was plain that the landing had not been used for
+commercial purposes for a long time.
+
+The boys fastened the boat and ran briskly up the rotting footway
+which led to the enclosure in which the old house stood. There was a
+wilderness of trees and shrubs in the enclosure, and the walks, which
+had evidently once been carefully tended, were now overgrown with
+weeds and long grass. Lizards darted out of unseen places and sped
+away as the boys advanced along a broken walk which led to the front
+door of the mansion.
+
+At the very threshold the boys paused, listening. The ragged blinds
+were flapping in the breeze, and the trees which rimmed the enclosure
+rustled and creaked in a most uncanny way, but these sounds were not
+the ones which brought the adventurous boys to a halt.
+
+The noise they heard sounded like the tones of a violin, coming from a
+great distance. The notes, faint, sweet, perplexing, rose and fell on
+the wind, now lifting into a weird song, now dropping to the softest
+melody!
+
+"There's some one here, after all!" Jule suggested, though there was a
+question in the way the words were spoken. "Some one lives here? What
+do you think?"
+
+Alex. pointed to the broken door which opened into the disordered
+hall, to the window blinds, beating the casings at the will of the
+wind, and at the long grass and weeds growing between the planks and
+stones of the walks.
+
+"I don't believe any one lives here!" he insisted.
+
+"Then what is it making the music?" demanded Jule. "If that isn't some
+one playing the violin you may eat my head for a cabbage!"
+
+They listened again. The sounds stopped directly, then there came a
+banging of doors and a rustle, as if some one in trailing clothes was
+being dragged through the hall. Then a shriek which appeared to come
+from directly under the feet of the boys cut the air, lifting into a
+terrifying yell at the end. The lads involuntarily started back down
+the path, but both stopped and faced the house again.
+
+"I'm not going away without knowing more about it!" Alex. declared.
+
+"That's the way I look at it!" grinned Jule. "We can't turn tail and
+run like a couple of cowards. I wish we had brought Captain Joe along
+with us!"
+
+"Clay wanted him for company," Alex. explained. "Joe looked like his
+heart was broken when we came off without him! I'll bet he runs away
+and comes after us!"
+
+Seeing that their automatic revolvers were in working order, the boys
+walked back up the broken walk, mounted the steps, and passed into the
+ancient hallway of the mansion. All was ruin and decay there. The
+floor was broken out in places, and there were marks of an axe on the
+casings of the door and on the narrow windows beside it.
+
+The stairway leading to the rooms above was broken, too, some of the
+steps being gone entirely. The lads stopped at the foot of the steps
+for an instant to gaze upward and then turned into a lofty room on the
+left. This must have been the parlor, and the apartment beyond it must
+have been the library.
+
+The furniture, which had once been valuable, was broken into bits, and
+a charred spot on the floor showed where a fire had been kindled. The
+rooms on that floor were all desolate and dismantled, and the boys
+soon turned their attention to those above the ruined staircase.
+
+Scarcely had they gained the head of the stairs when the music began
+again. It seemed to come down the wide hallway which ran nearly
+through the house parallel with the front.
+
+"We're getting nearer to the band!" Jule whispered.
+
+There was such a hush over the place, such a weird, uncanny
+atmosphere, that, somehow, the boys did not feel like being
+loud-voiced or boisterous.
+
+"We'll be running into a reception committee next!" Alex. returned.
+
+The music continued for a few seconds, then ended in a repetition of
+the dragging, rustling sound and the shriek which had been heard
+before. This time the noise indicating physical motion appeared to
+come from the very hallway where the boys were standing!
+
+Alex. and Jule continued on through the hall until they came to a
+partition which shut off the north end of it. There was a door in this
+partition, but it was locked. At first all the efforts of the lads
+failed to budge it.
+
+"There's one part of the ranch that hasn't rotted away," Alex.
+observed, as red-faced and perspiring, he paused in his attack on the
+door.
+
+"That shows there's some one taking care of it," Jule decided.
+"Suppose we try the door once more? It ought to give way before our
+weight."
+
+They both threw their shoulders against the upper panels and they
+dropped back, revealing a small room which had the appearance of
+having recently been occupied. There was a wide fireplace at the back
+of the room, which was at the end of the house, and a chair standing
+near the hearth was softly cushioned. There was a window on each side
+of the fireplace, but the curtains were drawn so all the details of
+the apartment were not visible. The boys drew back for an instant.
+
+"We're breaking into some one's house!" Jule whispered.
+
+"I guess that's right!" Alex. returned. "What ought we to do now?"
+
+"Keep right on until we get at the solution of the mystery," Jule
+answered. "It may be that we shall find a maiden in distress, and----"
+
+The boy stopped in the midst of his light-hearted speech and looked
+again through the broken panels of the door at the end of the hall.
+What he saw was a side door opening.
+
+As the door swung back an old man, white haired and walking with a
+stout cane, came into the room and sat down in the chair by the
+hearth. Then, without glancing toward the broken panels and the boys
+beyond, he spoke:
+
+"The door is not fastened, boys. You are welcome to enter."
+
+The boys entered, feeling ashamed and half afraid, and the old man
+pointed to two chairs by the hearth which had not been seen through
+the broken door.
+
+"Sit down!" he said, almost with an air of command, "and tell me why
+you are here."
+
+The boys sank down into the chairs; then there came a sharp click, and
+they felt themselves falling through the floor!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A NEW CAPTAIN ON BOARD
+
+
+Clay continued his work on the motors for a long time after the
+departure of Alex. and Jule. It was impossible to make them work with
+safety without the repairs Case had gone after, but the boy decided
+that the present would be a fine time to clean them.
+
+While he worked, polishing and oiling, Mose and Teddy came out of the
+cabin arm-in-arm! At least the little negro boy had one arm around the
+cub's neck!
+
+"You've got over your scare, eh?" Clay laughed, as the two came to his
+side.
+
+"Ah sure tu'n white las' night!" Mose declared, rolling his eyes until
+they looked like white billiard balls. "Ah's so scared!"
+
+"You are black enough this morning," Clay suggested. "Where did you
+come from?"
+
+"Ah done come f'm San Louee," was the reply. "Ah lib on de levee."
+
+"Did you run away from St. Louis?" asked Clay. "Did you come all the
+way from the levee on the roof Alex. fished you off from?"
+
+Mose, still playing with the cub, explained that he had sneaked on
+board a steamer at St. Louis, but had been put ashore at a landing
+above Cairo by the mate. Then, so great had been his desire to get
+farther south for the winter, he had taken a drifting boat and pushed
+out into the swollen stream.
+
+The boat had been crushed in a mass of wreckage, but the boy had
+managed to crawl up on the floating roof where he had been found. The
+mammy he had spoken of as having been so liberal with him in the
+bestowal of names was an old colored lady who had given him a place to
+sleep on cold nights and occasionally fed him when he was hungry. He
+knew nothing of his parents or any relatives. He was just a levee
+waif.
+
+After a time Clay went to the cabin and lay on his bunk, which let
+down from the ceiling, being usually drawn up during the daytime. The
+motors were still under process of cleaning, and various parts lay
+scattered about.
+
+Presently the boy heard a great racket on deck. Captain Joe's deep
+voice came in threatening growls, and Mose and Teddy scampered into
+the cabin. Clay sprang to his feet and made for the deck, not doubting
+that Alex. and Jule had returned and were up to some mischief. Before
+he reached the door he heard the sound of a heavy blow.
+
+He could see no one through the doorway, which Mose had left open,
+although most of the deck was in sight, yet the blow he had heard
+warned him that something out of the ordinary was taking place. He
+stepped back to a shelf for his revolver.
+
+He knew that during floods bands of outlaws frequented the river in
+quest of plunder, and it was his first impression that one of these
+had discovered the motor boat and was trying to board her. He wondered
+at the silence of the dog.
+
+As the boy reached for his weapon, a gruff voice from the cabin
+doorway commanded him to face about and hold up his hands.
+
+"And hold 'em up empty, too!" the gruff voice said.
+
+There was nothing for Clay to do but to obey. It was with an effort,
+however, that he kept his arms extended. The leering eyes of the man
+with the face of a fox who stood before him with a revolver pushed
+almost into his face caused such hot surges of rage to fill the boy's
+brain that he came near facing the peril and springing upon the
+outlaw.
+
+Mose, levee bred and wise to the unlawful purpose of the intruder,
+moved stealthily toward the shelf where Clay's revolver lay, in plain
+sight. In another second it would have been in the little fellow's
+hand, with what result Clay could not imagine, but the outlaw saw the
+movement and edged forward, still keeping the revolver leveled at
+Clay, much to the latter's disgust.
+
+"Here, you coon!" the man shouted, "get over in that corner and stay
+there! Move, or I'll give you a lift!"
+
+The brute gave Mose a savage kick in the side as he spoke. It was one
+thing for Clay to be placed in a humiliating position, to be
+threatened with a gun, but it was quite another for him to stand
+inactive and see a boy brutally treated! Disregarding all his thoughts
+of the uselessness of the move, the boy sprang at the outlaw.
+
+Although only a boy, Clay was muscular and in training. The man he had
+attacked was stronger and heavier than the lad, but he was slower of
+movement, and the result of the conflict might have been a victory for
+Clay if the two had been permitted to continue the struggle
+unmolested.
+
+While the meager furniture of the little cabin was being broken and
+tossed hither and yon by the combatants, while Teddy was jumping
+about, eager to get hold of one of the fighters--as he had been taught
+to do when the boys were wrestling--and while Mose was doing his best
+to get over to the shelf where the revolver lay, there came a quick
+jar on deck, a jar caused by the bunting of a boat against the hull of
+the _Rambler_, and then hurrying footsteps on the forward deck.
+
+Clay fought all the harder when the sounds reached his ears, for he
+was sure that Alex. and Jule had returned, and that short work would
+now be made of the intruder. He was gradually securing a hold on his
+enemy which would have ended the battle when he was seized and
+lifted--by a giant, it seemed to him--clear of the cabin deck and held
+there while the outlaw slowly regained his feet and picked up his
+weapon.
+
+Clay saw that it was the other side that had received the
+reinforcements, and motioned to Mose to remain quiet and keep out of
+sight. He feared that further activity on the part of the negro boy
+would add to his punishment.
+
+After catching his breath, the outlaw with whom Clay had been
+struggling lifted a pair of bloodshot eyes to Clay's face and sprang
+at him, his huge fists clenched until the knuckles showed hard and
+white.
+
+"You bum!" he shouted, lunging at the lad, "I'll give you some of your
+own medicine! What do you mean by striking me?"
+
+The blow would have landed squarely in the boy's face, but the man who
+had picked him off the outlaw warded it off with a fist like a ham,
+and set the boy behind the great bulk of his own person. Clay was
+encouraged by this defense, and began hoping that he had found a
+friend instead of another enemy.
+
+But this hope was soon shattered, for the newcomer produced a hard
+cord, which had evidently once been used as a fishline, and coolly
+proceeded to tie the boy's wrists. This task completed to his
+satisfaction, he pushed the boy over on his bunk and tossed Mose on
+top of him.
+
+"There!" he cried. "You keep quiet, or I'll turn Sam loose on you!
+And, Sam, if you molest the boy again I'll settle with you for it. I
+take it he had a right to fight for his boat! And the little coon! You
+keep your hands off him, too!"
+
+The man called Sam flashed an ugly look out of his foxy, inflamed eyes
+and went out on deck. In a moment he was seen in the doorway again,
+dragging Captain Joe after him.
+
+"Shall I pitch the dog overboard?" he asked, in a surly tone. "He took
+a piece out of my leg and I gave him a rap on the head. He's knocked
+out!"
+
+Clay sat up on the bunk and glared at the man, who was still holding
+the bulldog by the collar. At that moment, whatever the consequences,
+the fellow's life would not have been worth a farthing if the boy had
+had a gun!
+
+"Don't let him kill the dog!" Clay said, appealing to the giant. "He's
+a good fellow, that dog! Of course he bit that robber! He wouldn't
+have been a good dog if he hadn't. Take what you want on the boat, but
+let the dog live."
+
+The giant, who was at least six foot six inches in height and large in
+proportion, looked Captain Joe over after the manner of one acquainted
+with dogs while Clay awaited his decision anxiously.
+
+"The kid is right," he finally declared. "This is a good dog, and
+we'll keep him with us. Took a piece out of your leg, did he?"
+
+The big fellow placed his hands on his mammoth hips, threw back his
+head until his hairy throat rose like a sturdy column of strength, and
+poured forth such a torrent of laughter that Teddy came out of the
+cabin to see what new sport was being prepared for his amusement. Sam
+struck at the cub, but the other pushed him away before he had done
+any mischief.
+
+"That's a good one!" roared the giant. "Took a piece out of your leg,
+did he? If he ain't pizened, and lives after that, I'll keep him.
+There's a heap of pizen snakes down my way that need looking after.
+Took a piece out of your leg! That's too good for anything! Ho! Ho!
+Ho! Took a piece out of your leg!"
+
+"I hope he'll some day take a piece out of that throat of yours!"
+roared Sam.
+
+"No doubt, no doubt!" replied the giant. "He may be a doin' of it when
+the hangman is busy puttin' a new hemp tie about that weazen of yours!
+Now let the kids and the dog and bear alone, and help work the boat
+out into the current. We've got to be getting out of this!"
+
+"You'll have to put the motors together before you move her," Sam
+replied.
+
+The giant looked thoughtfully at the scattered fragments, then at
+Clay, still in the bunk, and scratched a thatch of red hair which
+looked like a hayrick.
+
+"It seems to need puttin' together," he said, beckoning to Clay.
+
+Then the boy saw that it was the intention of the outlaws to take
+possession of the _Rambler_ and shift her down stream before any of
+the boys returned. He thought of Alex. and Jule, marooned on that
+desolate point of land where the old house stood, of Case, trudging
+back from New Madrid with the repairs to find the boat gone!
+
+He glanced about hopelessly, searching the shores of the bayou on the
+faint chance of seeing Alex. and Jule returning. Captain Joe was now
+regaining consciousness in the cabin, and Teddy was trying to interest
+him in a boxing match! Mose sat in a corner motionless, except that
+his eyes rolled about in anger or panic, the boy could not determine
+which.
+
+"Well, get the engines together!" ordered the giant.
+
+"There are parts missing," Clay answered. "One of the boys has gone to
+New Madrid for repairs. She won't run a foot without them."
+
+Sam and the giant conversed together for a moment, and then the former
+called out to Mose, emphasizing his words with a threatening gesture:
+
+"Here, coon!" he shouted. "Can you swim?"
+
+"Ah sho' can," was the reply.
+
+"Then jump ashore and take this dog with you. If I ever see either of
+you again I'll take your hides off!"
+
+"It would improve matters to hold 'em under a while!" he added,
+angrily.
+
+"I won't have it," the giant returned. "No murder for me!"
+
+"You'll see what'll come of lettin' 'em go!" Sam warned.
+
+"Git!" ordered the big fellow, in a not unkind tone, and Mose, nothing
+loth, gathered the dog in his arms and leaped into the bayou.
+
+Clay almost held his breath for a moment, until he saw that the cold
+water had revived the dog, and that he was swimming. Then his
+attention was attracted to the outlaws, who were, with pole and oar,
+edging the _Rambler_ out into the river.
+
+He believed that the boat would be wrecked the moment it, helpless,
+struck the mass of floodwood sweeping down. Presently he felt the push
+of the current, and the boat went whirling down stream, tipping from
+side to side as she spun around, helpless in the current.
+
+Then a great tree struck the stern and half capsized her. The end
+seemed at hand.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A HIT
+
+
+While the _Rambler_, in charge of reckless river pirates, was swinging
+down with the current, threatening to capsize every instant, Alex. and
+Jule sat flat on a rotten, yielding floor somewhere in the interior of
+the deserted house, feeling tenderly over their limbs to see if they
+had received severe injuries during the fall from the room where they
+had been so inhospitably welcomed by the aged man.
+
+The boys had not fallen far. In fact, it seemed to them that they had
+only slid down a gentle incline to the story below. A hatch in the
+floor in front of the hearth had been dropped back, and their chairs
+had slid into a chute which seemed, from its smoothness, to be in
+frequent use.
+
+For a minute the boys were alarmed, excited, angry, then the humor of
+their sudden removal from the apartment above appealed to them. Alex.
+was first to speak.
+
+"Vot iss?" he exclaimed. "This must be a page of a comic section in
+one of the Chicago newspapers. How many legs and arms have you
+broken?"
+
+"Not a one!" answered Jule. "What kind of hospital treatment do you
+require?"
+
+"If I felt any better," laughed Alex., "I wouldn't know what to take
+for it."
+
+It was dark as pitch where the boys were, and they felt about until
+their hands touched. The personal contact gave them new courage.
+
+"What do you make of it?" asked Jule. "This doesn't look good to me!"
+
+"We've simply butted in on some other fellow's game," Alex. replied.
+"We seem to have visited a crank who thinks it best to be prepared in
+advance for unwelcome guests."
+
+"A moonshiner or a river pirate!" Jule suggested.
+
+"That's about it!" Alex. answered. "We've interrupted the industry of
+a set of illicit whisky makers or warehouse thieves. The valley is
+said to swarm with bandits whenever the river is out of its banks.
+Now, the question is how are we going to get out and back to the
+_Rambler_?"
+
+They did not know that at that moment Clay and the motor boat were in
+a situation far more serious than that in which they now found
+themselves!
+
+"I wish it wasn't so dark here!" Jule whispered.
+
+"Why the soft pedal?" asked Alex. "We've got a right to talk as loudly
+as we like, I take it, being alone in a dark old donjon keep!"
+
+"There's some one in the room with us!" Jule explained, in a whisper
+which barely reached his chum's ears, so faint it was. "I hear him
+breathing."
+
+"Hello!" Alex. called out, then. "Hello! Come on out an' be a good
+fellow!"
+
+There was no answer, and then Alex., reaching into a capacious pocket,
+brought out a small electric torch and pushed the button. On board the
+_Rambler_ or on shore, it was a rule of the boys never to move about
+without an electric torch and an automatic revolver ready for use.
+
+When the light flashed out, its round circle showed only a room twenty
+feet square in size, with bare discolored walls. Plastering hung to
+broken lath, so they knew that they were on the ground floor of the
+deserted house, and not in the cellar. The floor was worn, and the
+rough boards which half protected the broken windows showed signs of
+having been long in position. There was no furniture at all in the
+place.
+
+"Looks like we might rip off a board and walk out," Jule said, still
+speaking in a very low tone of voice.
+
+"Don't you ever think we're not watched!" Alex. hastened to say. "I
+don't know but I made a mistake in showing this light."
+
+"There's only one way to discover whether we are watched or not," said
+the other, "and that is to try to get away. I'm going after that
+window."
+
+As Jule spoke he moved toward a window which seemed to open on the
+bayou, as a gleam of water could be seen through the cracks in the
+window-guard. The instant his hand touched a crumbling board a voice
+came out of the darkness.
+
+"I wouldn't do that, boys!"
+
+That was all. Jule stopped at the uncanny interruption with a hand
+suspended in air, and Alex. quickly flashed his light in the direction
+from which the sound had come.
+
+There was no one in sight. Rats or other creeping, crawling, things
+seemed to be working in the disreputable walls, for there was a
+continuous scratching noise, but there were no other sounds. Alex.
+shut off the light and sat down on the floor again.
+
+"I guess it is no use!" he said. "We'll have to surrender!"
+
+"There will always be someone here to see that you don't get away!"
+said the voice. "If you make any trouble, you won't get anything to
+eat! Now, be good!"
+
+"You can keep me as gentle as a lamb by feeding me right!" Alex. said,
+with a chuckle which was rather forced. "Why don't you show up?"
+
+"You'll see me soon enough," the voice went on. "In the meantime,
+don't show that electric light again, and if you have any weapons lay
+them on the floor in this corner."
+
+"I haven't any," lied Alex. "I brought the light instead."
+
+As he spoke the boy nudged Jule, and he, understanding, slid his
+revolver along the floor in the direction of the voice. It struck
+against the wall with a metallic thud.
+
+"That's right!" the voice in the darkness said. "Now, you with the
+light, send it over here. I might want to use it!"
+
+Alex. slid his torch along the floor. In its progress the button was
+pressed and a round illumination sprang up on the wall. Almost in the
+center of this they saw the white hair and beard of the old man who
+had invited them into the room above!
+
+The boys sat for a long time in serious thought after that, well
+knowing that every word uttered would be heard by their guardian.
+Alex. was more than hopeful in his views of the situation.
+
+"If these fellows were professionals," he mused, "they wouldn't take
+any chances on us not having more weapons and more lights. They would
+make sure by searching us! I don't believe they ever took a prisoner
+before, or that they are very anxious about keeping us. I guess we
+just butted in where we're not wanted, and they'll let us go after a
+time. Anyway, they're easy!"
+
+Directly loud noises were heard in the old house, and the insecure
+walls shook under heavy burdens. It seemed to the listening lads that
+huge boxes and barrels were being transferred from one room to
+another.
+
+There were excited voices, too, although no words could be understood.
+It seemed to the two prisoners that the old mansion was being
+deserted, and their impression was that the thieves were removing
+their plunder because their hiding-place had been intruded upon. In
+that case, they thought, they might soon be released.
+
+After what seemed a whole day, food was pushed into the room, and the
+boys ate heartily of the fresh pork sausages, corn pones, and sweet
+potatoes given them.
+
+"You're all right on the feed!" Alex. called back in the direction of
+the corner where for an instant the old man had been seen.
+
+There was no answer, but, somehow, the boys were convinced that there
+was some one there in the room with them. It does not always require
+the eyes, or the hands, or the ears, or the sense of smell, to show
+one that others are close by.
+
+There is a tingling of the nerves which warns of the presence of
+hostile elements, and this it was which showed the prisoners that they
+were still under guard.
+
+That was a long afternoon. For the most part there were no sounds in
+the old house; still, now and then, there came the jar of heavy
+burdens on the floors, and the sharp and angry voices of men, speaking
+in a tongue the boys did not understand.
+
+When the cracks in the boards at the windows began to darken, they
+knew that night was falling. They thought of the comfortable cabin of
+the _Rambler_, and of the companionship of the other boys with spasms
+of anger and regret. As the darkness became more complete outside,
+they arose and walked up and down the floor of their little room.
+
+"Say, Mister!" Alex. called out to their invisible guard, directly,
+"how many acts are there in this drama? When do the persecuted
+c-h-e-i-l-d-s return to their agonized and heart-broken parents?"
+
+"I'm as weary of it as you are!" was the remarkable answer, still in
+that calm voice they had heard before.
+
+"Then why don't you cut it out?" asked Jule.
+
+"There are men in the party who advise that," was the significant
+answer. "They are at present discussing your fate. Many declare that
+it is not wise to permit you to leave the place! I'm sorry for you,
+but you had no right to snoop in here!"
+
+"Next time," Alex. replied, "you hoist a piracy flag, and we'll keep
+away."
+
+"When will this strategy board you refer to make a report?" asked
+Jule.
+
+"I may receive orders at any moment," was the answer.
+
+Silence followed. There were crunchings and chatterings, in the walls
+where rodents were busy making nests, but no sound of human action. In
+the long wait the boys heard a low, inquisitive sniff!
+
+Alex. drew Jule's head over to him and whispered in his ear:
+
+"That's Captain Joe, for a dollar and a half!"
+
+"You're on!" Jule responded. "I'll be glad to lose the bet at that,
+too!"
+
+"I guess I know that inquisitive snort!" Alex. went on. "Besides, I
+told you that the dog would find some way to get to us!"
+
+"Aw, Clay sent him!" declared Jule. "He never found his way here
+alone."
+
+"The boys may be with him," Alex. suggested, as the sound came again.
+"I hope he won't make enough noise to disturb his nibs, over in the
+corner. Good old dog!"
+
+After a time they heard the patter of the dog's feet, and then the
+guard whistled softly, as if attempting to make friends with whatever
+animal was approaching.
+
+"Come here, you foolish dog!" he said. "Why don't you come in out of
+the dark?"
+
+The pat-pat of the dog's soft feet came nearer, and the guard spoke
+again:
+
+"How the Old Harry did you get in here?" he demanded. "Whose dog are
+you, anyway?"
+
+The dog growled and there came a flash of light. The guard, becoming
+afraid of this thing which had found its way into a room supposed to
+be secure from intrusion, and had switched on the electric.
+
+The light revealed the two prisoners, grouped together in the middle
+of the room, the old man, standing with weapon extended and with
+staring eyes, Captain Joe all ready for a spring, an open window, and,
+lastly, the black face of Mose overlooking the scene with eyes which
+seemed too large for his head!
+
+"Get him, Joe!" cried both boys in unison.
+
+The light dropped as the dog leaped, and a revolver clattered to the
+floor. Alex. had hold of the dog in an instant, his other hand
+reaching for the rolling flashlight.
+
+"Don't eat him up, Joe!" the boy said, tearing the dog away from the
+fallen man. Captain Joe fell away with a sullen growl.
+
+"The brute has bitten my arm!" the old man moaned.
+
+"If you remain quiet," Alex. said, "you won't have any more wounds to
+complain of. We'll just tie you up and get out! After we are gone some
+one will come and let you out. What sort of a place is this, anyway?"
+
+The old man groaned and made no reply, so the boys secured him and
+crept out of the window into the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+SEARCHING FOR THE _RAMBLER_
+
+
+Case found the walking fairly good and reached New Madrid shortly
+before noon, having started about 8 o'clock. He procured the supplies
+for which he had been sent and then sought the hotel and partook of an
+excellent dinner.
+
+"Now," he thought, "shall I walk back to the _Rambler_ to-night, or
+shall I remain here and look over the town?"
+
+The question was soon decided, for all there was of the town could be
+seen in a very short time. At 1 o'clock he started back to the motor
+boat. At 5 o'clock, just as the sun was setting, he came to the bayou
+where the _Rambler_ had been anchored.
+
+There was no boat there. The night was falling fast, and the bayou and
+the river were dimly seen through a slight mist. The boy stood on the
+bank of the bayou for a long time, studying the situation.
+
+"There's something wrong!" he decided. "The motors could never have
+been forced into motion with the parts missing! The boys would never
+attempt to drift down, for the river is still filled with drifting
+timbers and wrecks of houses and barns.
+
+"And even if they should have decided to change locations,
+notwithstanding the peril of the undertaking, they would never have
+gone away without leaving some one here to notify me of the new
+position!"
+
+Passing on up the bank of the bayou, searching for some sign in the
+darkness, Case finally came upon the rowboat which Alex. and Jule had
+left half concealed in a tangle of bushes in a little bay. Before him,
+then, lay the old house, dim in the night. He had heard the boys talk
+of visiting the place, and at once concluded that they were there.
+
+He looked over the structure for lights, but saw none. Then he
+listened, catching in time the sounds which the two boys had noted. He
+crouched down in a patch of shrubbery and waited, listening for some
+indication of the presence of his chums.
+
+Directly he heard a shrill scream of fright, then the bushes between
+his hiding-place and the house were shaken violently, and a small
+figure darted out, running at top speed and sending a scream into the
+night at every jump!
+
+"If that isn't Mose," Case thought, "then there are two young negroes
+with most extraordinary calliope possibilities! He runs like the Old
+Scratch was after him, and has plenty of wind left to tell how scared
+he is!" he added.
+
+The small figure came smashing through the shrubbery and finally
+landed in the thicket where Case had secreted himself. Here he
+stumbled over a trailing vine and fell forward on his face. Before he
+could regain his feet Case had him by the arm.
+
+"Mose!" he said. "Keep quiet! You'll have all the pirates in the state
+steering in this direction! What is the matter?"
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake leave dis nigger go!" wailed Mose. "Dar's ghostes
+in dat ol' house, an' dey's got de boys!"
+
+"Are the boys in there?" demanded Case, giving the frightened lad a
+gentle shake to bring him back to his senses. "Where is the
+_Rambler_?"
+
+"Ah don' know!" gasped the little negro. "Piruts don' got de boat, an'
+dem ghostes don' 'pear fo' dis nigger!"
+
+"If you don't brace up and tell me what's going on," Case declared,
+"I'll throw you in the river. Where are the boys?"
+
+Before Mose could reply Captain Joe came dashing through the bushes.
+He stopped by Case's side and lay down, trembling with excitement.
+
+"If the dog could talk he would tell me what's going on," Case said,
+reprovingly, to the negro. "Where have you two been?"
+
+Mose, evidently encouraged by the presence of the dog, told haltingly
+of the attack on the _Rambler_ that morning, of his being thrown
+overboard, with the dog, of his day of wandering, hungry and afraid,
+about the old place, and of Captain Joe following the tracks of the
+boys to the entrance to the house.
+
+He said that he had lain in hiding, afraid to enter, and had kept the
+dog quiet until it began to get dark, when he had followed Captain Joe
+to a window from which the sound of voices had issued. The dog had
+leaped in, after he had pulled away the rotten board, he said, and
+there he had seen Alex. and Jule, enveloped in a ghostly light, with a
+white ghost struggling with the dog!
+
+The story was told with many sidelong glances at the shadows which lay
+heavy on the landscape, for a moon was now struggling through drifting
+banks of clouds.
+
+As the boy concluded his story, often delayed by his fright, another
+commotion came from the grounds nearer the old house. Lights flashed
+from the windows and pistol shots were heard. Getting one sniff of the
+acrid smell of powder, Mose leaped to his feet and bounded away again.
+Captain Joe lifted his nose, wrinkled it in derision, and rose to meet
+two figures which were pounding down the broken walk toward the bayou.
+
+"Alex.! Jule!" called Case. "What's doing?"
+
+"Get a move on!" panted Alex. "Get to the boat! Where did that little
+coon go?"
+
+"He must be somewhere near the Rocky Mountains by this time," Case
+replied, falling into the fast pace set by the other boys.
+
+Very soon there were sounds of running feet behind them, and the lads
+redoubled their efforts to reach the boat before any one else could
+get to it. Now and then a bullet cut the air close to their ears, but
+they were not struck.
+
+When they came to the edge of the bayou, Mose had the boat out a rod
+from shore, and was doing his best to row it across with one oar. The
+boys did not wait for him to return to the bank, but plunged into the
+water and waded and swam out, Alex., the last one in, giving the craft
+a vigorous shove as he crawled over the stern.
+
+Without loss of a minute's time Alex. and Case took the oars and Jule
+seized the helm. They were soon proceeding down the bayou at a rapid
+rate of speed, but, fast as they were going, others were moving faster
+along the bank.
+
+"Come back or we'll fill you full of air holes!" shouted one of the
+pursuers.
+
+The boys might have been forced to return to the shore only for the
+fact that at that moment the moon's face was hidden by a mass of
+clouds. Taking advantage of this, and sitting as low in the boat as
+possible in order to avoid the bullets which were coming in their
+direction, the boys made for the mouth of the blind channel, and soon
+felt the push of the current of the Mississippi.
+
+Before long the sounds of pursuit died out. The old mansion, which
+stood on the point of land between the river and the bayou, was now in
+darkness. When the moon came out again it stood silent and solitary in
+its neglected enclosure. It seemed to the lads that everything that
+had taken place there must be a dream!
+
+"Now where?" Jule asked, as the boat passed a bend and the house was
+no longer in sight. "Do we know where we are going, any of us?"
+
+"Where is the _Rambler_?" demanded Alex. "We ought to have reached it
+long ago."
+
+Then, briefly, Case repeated the story told by Mose of the capture of
+the motor boat. There was silence for a moment, for the boys
+recognized the seriousness of the situation.
+
+There was little doubt in their minds that the _Rambler_ would be
+wrecked. No boat could drift down that surging river, cluttered with
+driftwood as it was, without meeting with disaster. And Clay was on
+board, bound, and helpless in case the worst happened!
+
+"So that is how Mose and Captain Joe happened to come to the rescue,"
+Alex. said. "The pirate threw them off the _Rambler_! Well, he did a
+good job when he did it, anyway! But how that coon did run when we
+made for the window he had opened!"
+
+Mose, nestled in the bottom of the boat, stroking Captain Joe's wet
+head, grinned and declared that the boys had looked like ghosts.
+
+"It is a wonder the boy and the dog were not discovered in the
+grounds!" Jule remarked. "I don't see how they came to keep out of
+sight!"
+
+"I can tell you!" Case put in. "Mose was so afraid that the pirates
+would come and get him that he lay in the bushes with his face in the
+dead leaves! Is that right, Mose?" he asked.
+
+Mose had to admit that he was "sho' scared white," and Captain Joe
+tried to explain, in perfectly good dog talk, that he wasn't
+frightened a bit, but only lay by Mose to help keep his courage up!
+
+"Well, boys," Alex. said in a moment, "we've got to study out some
+plan to get to Clay. We can't dodge the issue by talking of something
+else. What shall we do?"
+
+"I'm for going on down the river," Alex. continued. "The pirates can't
+run the _Rambler_ up stream, and so we must find her if we keep on
+going."
+
+"But she has nearly ten hours the start of us," urged Jule.
+
+"I don't think they will go far, as it is risky drifting a boat down
+now. They will probably go far enough to get out of the zone of
+pursuit and then tie up, if the boat isn't wrecked before that," he
+added, gravely.
+
+"That's good judgment!" Case declared.
+
+"We're lucky if we don't get wrecked ourselves," Jule declared,
+swinging the boat about to avoid a mass of wreckage which lay before
+her. "When we come to the bend just ahead we're likely to be pushed
+over to the other shore. See how the current sets that way? We'll have
+to go some to beat it!"
+
+The current was indeed swift and treacherous. It swept toward the east
+shore with almost resistless force, and the rowboat was like an
+eggshell in its grasp.
+
+"Look out for the log ahead!" cried Jule, as the boat swirled around.
+
+But there was more than one log ahead. It seemed that a whole drive of
+logs, or timbers, had been caught by the flood and whirled down
+stream. The boys backed water, and Jule did all he could to keep out
+of the mass, but the current was remorseless.
+
+The boat struck a great timber and the force of the shock and the
+cracking sound which followed told of an injury to the craft. Mose
+stood up in the boat, for water was now coming in!
+
+"This seems to be our good-luck night!" Case grumbled, in a sarcastic
+tone, as the boat lurched against a great log and came near tipping
+over.
+
+"There's a raft ahead, anyway!" shouted Jule. "We can ride down on
+that!"
+
+"Until it takes a notion to dump us into the drink!" complained Case.
+
+The boat filled fast, and Captain Joe mounted the prow and looked
+longingly toward the bobbing timber raft just ahead. From the raft he
+looked back to the boys.
+
+"I reckon the dog has more sense than we have!" Alex. exclaimed.
+"We'll have to take to the raft, all right, so here goes."
+
+"Wait for a bit of light!" urged Case. "The moon will be out in a
+second."
+
+In the darkness which followed the boys could feel the water rising in
+the boat. The current was pressing the craft down against the timber
+raft, and the creaking of the hull proclaimed a badly wrecked boat.
+
+"Say," Case called out, "one of you boys get out a light. We've got to
+make a jump right soon. This is some adventure! What?"
+
+Jule reached for his electric, but Alex. caught his arm.
+
+"There's a light on the Missouri bank," he said, "and it looks to me
+like the cabin windows of the _Rambler_ were sending it out. Lay low
+in the dark and drift with the raft!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+FACES AT THE WINDOW
+
+
+"Look here, Red," the outlaw who had been called Sam said, addressing
+the giant, as the _Rambler_ struck the half-submerged tree, "we've got
+up against something hard!"
+
+"We never should have put out into the river!" retorted Red. "A few
+more bumps like that, and to the fishes we go! Get a pole out, and see
+if you can push away from that consarned tree. Then we'll soon get to
+shore."
+
+Sam went into the cabin, where Clay sat, side by side with the bear
+cub, on a bunk.
+
+"Where's your river pole?" he demanded. "You must have something of
+the kind!"
+
+"There's one in hooks at the side of the cabin," replied the boy. "If
+you'll cut this cord I'll help you get out of the current."
+
+Sam leered savagely at the boy for a moment, picked up the revolver
+which lay on the floor not far away, put it into a pocket, and then
+severed the cord.
+
+"Mind you," he said, as Clay sprang for the pole, "if you try any
+tricks on us we'll chuck you to the fish!"
+
+Without paying much attention to the threat, Clay grasped the pole and
+ran to the prow, which was now entangled in a wilderness of branches
+springing from the bole of the tree the boat had struck. The boy's
+strength was insufficient, and Red came to his assistance. Both pried
+and pushed, but it seemed impossible to back the boat against the
+sweep of the current.
+
+As if to make matters worse, a long timber lodged against the stern
+and added its weight to that of the motor boat and the running water.
+Sam stood looking on with a cynical smile on his hard face.
+
+"You never can do it," he finally declared. "We'll have to let the
+boat drift down in company with the tree. Just our luck to strike such
+a snag!"
+
+"If that limb wasn't in the way," Red asserted, "we could get the boat
+out. It binds on the side of the cabin."
+
+Clay hastened into the cabin and soon returned to the prow with an
+axe. Both men eyed him sharply as he came forward with the keen-edged
+implement.
+
+"You know what I told you!" Sam shouted, stepping toward the boy.
+
+"Let him alone!" commanded Red. "I reckon the kid knows what he is
+about!"
+
+"Now," Clay explained, addressing the big fellow, who seemed more
+inclined to be friendly than his companion, "if you'll stand ready
+with the pole, I'll get over on the trunk and cut that limb away. Then
+we can edge over to the shore."
+
+"Oh, yes!" sneered Sam. "We let you off on the tree, and you go on
+down and call out the police at the first landing. Not for your
+uncle!"
+
+"Go on," shouted Red, to Clay. "I'll steady you with the pole, and
+when the limb is off you give it a poke and come on board. Will you do
+that?"
+
+"Sure!" answered the boy. "I have no intention of going off and
+leaving the _Rambler_! Hand me the axe when I get down on the trunk,
+will you?"
+
+Without waiting for any further conversation, which was difficult
+because of the roaring of the river, Clay crept over the gunwale and
+landed on the tree, which sank lower under his weight. Then he reached
+for the axe, which Red promptly passed to him.
+
+"I wouldn't get down on that tree for a thousand dollars!" cried Sam.
+"If he don't time himself to a second, he'll get knocked into a cocked
+hat by the boat when she swings loose! I'm not stuck on taking any
+such chances."
+
+"That is some kid!" Red exclaimed, admiringly, as Clay chopped away at
+the limb. "I wish we had him with us!"
+
+"You want to look out for him!" Sam cautioned. "He may prove to be too
+much of a kid for both of us, but I've got him covered, so if he tries
+to----"
+
+The limb dropped away after a few strokes with the axe, and the boat
+righted and swung against the trunk. The swaying of the trunk upon
+which Clay stood threw him into the water, but he clung to the tree
+and tried to work back to the boat. Sam lifted the pole to strike his
+unprotected head.
+
+"May as well get rid of him now," he declared, with an ugly oath.
+
+Red struck the would-be murderer a savage blow in the face and reached
+down to assist the boy to the deck. For a moment it seemed that both
+of them must be drawn under the boat, but the big fellow's strength
+won, and Clay was hauled, dripping and exhausted, up on deck. Sam eyed
+him malevolently and snarled.
+
+"It will come some time!"
+
+Red pushed the boy toward the cabin, the look on his face friendlier
+than ever.
+
+"Go and get into dry clothes," he said. "Never mind what Sam says! He
+means all right, only he don't know how to express himself!"
+
+The _Rambler_ now swung off toward the shore, and Red and Sam were
+kept busy working wreckage out of her course. They snarled at each
+other as they worked, and Clay was in constant fear that Sam would
+play some treacherous trick on the big fellow in return for the blow
+he had received. The marks of the short encounter were still on his
+face.
+
+Much to his relief, the _Rambler_ was edged into calmer water next to
+the Missouri shore. He had no idea at that time, even, that he would
+lose the boat. He did not know what had become of his chums, but he
+believed that in some way they would be able to come to his rescue.
+They had never failed him.
+
+The _Rambler_ drifted down for some distance, leaking a little but not
+seriously, and was finally worked into a little bay where there was no
+current.
+
+That was a long day for the boy. Several boats passed up and down on
+the river, and relief parties searching for flood victims were
+frequently seen, but Red always announced that they were in no trouble
+whatever when questioned.
+
+Clay was not bound again, but was kept in the cabin, with the door
+closed. He could hear calls from passing boats, but did not dare make
+the situation known.
+
+During the day the outlaws devoured what cooked food there was in the
+cabin and gave some to the boy. Once Sam lay down for a short nap. Red
+was not communicative, and refused to answer any questions as to his
+intentions regarding the _Rambler_.
+
+A fine mist came down as the night shut in, but presently the moon
+came out, and the outlaws began discussing the advisability of
+proceeding on down the river.
+
+"We can get to our landing," Sam insisted. "Once there, we can get
+into the bayou back of the island, where no one will think of looking
+for us. We must get the boat out of sight," he went on, "before
+reports of her capture spread along the river. Besides, the boys will
+be waiting for us at the shanty."
+
+"All right," Red finally agreed. "I'm willing to take my chance on
+being smashed flat by a tree or floating barn."
+
+Clay listened to the talk with interest. Somehow he began to recognize
+the voice of the big fellow! Where had he heard it before? Then, like
+a flash, the memory came to him! The man had talked with him from the
+river at Cairo! There is where he had heard the voice!
+
+At that time the big fellow had been pleading for the safety of a waif
+who had come on board the _Rambler_! Both the man and the waif had
+disappeared when the officers had come on board. Clay wondered where
+the boy was, and why this outlaw had taken an interest in him. The man
+appeared to be kind, though his appearance and his modes of life were
+against him. It was all a deep mystery to the boy.
+
+However, the giant's defense of himself, when Sam would have
+mistreated and, perhaps, murdered him, led Clay to believe that he was
+not wholly depraved. There might be some powerful motive for his
+adopting the life of a river outlaw.
+
+The boy resolved, at the first opportunity, to question Red regarding
+the fate of the lad who had so suddenly disappeared from the boat that
+night. He now saw that the willingness of his companions and himself
+to aid the waif had led to good results, for it was this willingness
+which had undoubtedly caused the giant to stand between him and injury
+or even death. His little loaf of bread cast on the waters had
+returned to good purpose!
+
+Sam seized the pole, as soon as Red agreed to his proposition to make
+their way down the river without delay, and began working the
+_Rambler_ out into the current.
+
+"Better wait until that mess of wreckage passes!" Red advised, as a
+crush of floating timbers made its appearance under the moonlight. "If
+we get into that bunch we'll never get out again. It will go by in a
+few moments."
+
+Sam stood looking at the mass with a frown on his sullen face. He was
+anxious to be away for more reasons than one. The boat had undoubtedly
+been reported seized long before this, and every craft passing up or
+down would soon be looking for her. His idea was that the lads who had
+left the boat would soon return and report the disappearance.
+
+He did not know, of course, that Case was at New Madrid, or on the way
+there, when they had attacked Clay, nor did he suspect that Alex. and
+Jule had fallen into the hands of a band of bandits in every way as
+desperate and unscrupulous as that to which he belonged.
+
+But, aside from the question of safety, there was another matter he
+wished brought to a conclusion. He had been assaulted by Red, and was
+raging for revenge. Once in the company of his lawless fellows, his
+revenge might be gained!
+
+"There is some one on that wreckage," the watchful Sam finally
+declared. "I saw a movement there. Good thing we are not near enough
+to be asked for help."
+
+Red looked at the floating raft and shook his head.
+
+"There is a boat lodged against the mess," he said, "but there's no
+one on board her, and there's no one on the raft, either."
+
+The light of the moon was now shut out by a drive of clouds, and the
+two men waited for a clear sky again. When the raft was revealed they
+saw a white bulldog running up and down across the timbers!
+
+"That's the brute I pitched overboard up in the bayou!" cried Sam. "I
+wish I had knocked him on the head. Some of those boys are not far
+off."
+
+Red laughed at the idea of the boys being there, But Clay, listening
+with every faculty awake, had a different notion of the capabilities
+of his chums.
+
+"If Captain Joe is there," the boy mused, his heart bounding with
+hope, "the boys are not far off! Anyway, I'll give them a chance to
+see the old boat once more!" he continued, reaching out and turning on
+the cabin lights.
+
+Sam uttered a fierce oath as the lights flashed out on the rushing
+water, and made for the cabin, but Red caught him by the arm and faced
+him around.
+
+"Look here!" he snarled, "if you go to making trouble for that boy
+I'll send your worthless hulk bobbing down to the Gulf! The lights
+won't hurt! We don't have to answer any calls for help that may come.
+Now, edge her out into the current and leave the boy to me. There's no
+sense in beating up the kid!"
+
+With a word of warning to Clay, not unkindly spoken, Red switched off
+the cabin lights, and then went to assist Sam in getting the _Rambler_
+out into the stream. Clay heard them saying that the raft was, after
+all, empty of life except for the dog.
+
+"The boat lodged against it seems to be broken," Red said, and Clay's
+heart went into his throat again. He feared that the boys had been
+caught in wreckage and drowned. The presence of the dog showed that
+they had been with the broken boat, he thought.
+
+Then, while the two men worked frantically in front, Clay heard the
+window leading to the cabin from the stern deck cautiously pushed
+aside, and then the faces of Alex. and Case appeared at the opening!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+RED DECLINES TO TALK
+
+
+In a moment the ray of moonlight slanting through the west window of
+the cabin was cut off by a floating cloud, and the faces of the two
+boys passed out of view. Their voices, however, came to Clay,
+enquiringly.
+
+"Are you all right?" Alex. asked.
+
+"Have you got any dry guns in there?" was Case's question.
+
+Clay answered both questions in a whispered affirmative and moved
+softly toward the window. It was necessary that some definite plan of
+action should be agreed upon, for the lads' presence there might be
+discovered at any time.
+
+"Is Jule there?" whispered Clay.
+
+"We're all in this neighborhood!" snickered Alex., "including Mose,
+Teddy and Captain Joe! We came down the river in a busted boat and on
+a poor raft! We should have passed the _Rambler_ only for the flash of
+lights in the cabin. What next?"
+
+"First," Clay answered, "I'll get the reserve weapons. One of the
+outlaws has my gun, but the others are in the lower drawer of the
+cupboard. I've been trying to get at them for a long time, but this is
+the first time, since I was set free of bonds, that the men have been
+too busy to notice me."
+
+Clay crawled to the cupboard and secured three revolvers, held as a
+reserve stock.
+
+"Now," he directed, "you boys get through the window while the
+ruffians are busy and the moon is out of business."
+
+As the boys wiggled their way through the small opening, Teddy began
+uttering growls of joy and welcome. He pranced about the cabin, too,
+in spite of all Clay could do to restrain him, tipping over chairs and
+rattling the dishes in a great pan on the floor, where the pirates had
+left them after their luncheon.
+
+And then, as if to add to the perplexities of the situation, the
+clouds which veiled the moon drifted away, and a slant of light shone
+full on the little stern deck, and on the figures grouped there. Case
+and Jule pulled themselves through into the cabin, but Alex. was left
+crouching on the outside. Clay passed him a revolver, and started to
+close the window.
+
+At that moment, attracted by the unusual commotion on the inside, Sam
+lurched to the door and looked through the glass panel. He saw Clay at
+the window, and caught sight of a figure outside and called out to
+Red, who was still busy at the prow, trying to keep the boat out of a
+mass of wreckage which was coming down faster than the boat was going
+for the reason that it was farther out in the current.
+
+Almost before Red could turn around, before his brain could grasp the
+significance of Sam's warning shout, Clay swung the door open and
+turned the switch which operated the prow light. In an instant the
+deck of the _Rambler_ was as light as it had ever been at noon. The
+cabin was still in darkness, save for the light which came through the
+glass panel of the door.
+
+The hands of both outlaws swung to their hips as the light flashed
+out, but did not bring forth the weapons carried there. Instead, they
+came up empty and were pushed out straight and held there. It was Clay
+who had given the order to keep hands out.
+
+Clay advanced along the unsteady deck to Sam and held his gun within
+an inch of his crooked nose, at the same time calling to Case to come
+and relieve the outlaw of his weapons.
+
+Sam's looks would have committed murder, if savage eyes and revengeful
+frowns could have done so, when the weapons were taken from him.
+Glancing hastily at Red, Clay thought he saw an amused smile lurking
+in the giant's eyes.
+
+"Now, Sam," Clay said, "we've got to repair the motors and get the
+_Rambler_ out of this ruck, where the leak can be repaired, so we've
+got no time to waste guarding a skunk like you. You would have
+murdered me if Red hadn't interfered, but I'm going to give you a
+chance for your life! Can you swim?"
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" grunted Mose, appearing on the deck, wet and
+shivering from the river, "dat's de 'dentical question he done ask
+me!"
+
+Captain Joe, who had come on board from the raft with the negro,
+sniffed at the heels of the outlaw and seemed to ask permission of
+Clay to take a bite out of him. The cub pranced around the little waif
+as if he had found a friend from whom he had long been parted. Sam did
+not answer the question. He glared at the weapons, at the exposed
+fangs of the bulldog, and turned a scowling face to Red.
+
+"These rascals seem to be friends of yours," he said. "I don't hear
+anything about your being given a chance to swim! Is this a frame-up?"
+
+Red's already flushed face darkened at the insulting question, and he
+would have struck Sam only that Case, whose gun was at his breast,
+motioned him to desist.
+
+"There'll come a time!" growled Sam. "Me an' you will have a
+settlement right soon after we get shut of these imitation tramps.
+Understand that?"
+
+"Yes, kiddo," Red cut in, turning to Clay, "Sam can swim. He's great
+on giving exhibition stunts in the water. He can do anything with
+water except drink it."
+
+"Glad to know it!" Clay replied, "for I want to see how far he can
+swim! Take a run-and-jump, you toy pirate, and get overboard."
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake, dat's what he said to dis----"
+
+Sam did not wait to hear the completion of the sentence, for Captain
+Joe, sensing, doubtless, that the outlaw was in bad with the party,
+advanced upon him. The pirate sprang for a floating timber, missed it,
+and went under. He came up in a second and struck out for the shore
+through a comparatively clear channel. The boys watched him until he
+crawled out on a mud bank and then turned to Red.
+
+"Well?" asked that individual, a smile on his face. "What next?"
+
+"First," Clay said, "I want to thank you for saving me from that
+ruffian, and then I want you to sit down and wait until we get up the
+greatest dinner that ever was served on the Mississippi. I'm half
+starved, and I know that the boys are. Of course, if you want to land
+right now, we'll put you ashore."
+
+"I reckon," Red replied, with a slight tremble in his gruff voice,
+"that I can't do better than to stick here for a time!"
+
+"Well," Clay went on, "the boys are wet and cold, as well as hungry,
+and so I'll have to do the cooking. Will you come in the cabin and sit
+by me while I do it?"
+
+"Will I? I'm lucky not to be out there on the shore with Sam!"
+
+The two passed into the cabin, after the boys had put on dry clothes
+and warmed themselves at the coal stove, and Clay set about cooking a
+mammoth steak which had been bought at Cairo and kept in the tiny
+refrigerator. Then he boiled potatoes, and made light biscuit, and the
+coffee he produced was a hearty meal in itself! There were tinned
+beans, and sardines, and salmon, and many other things when the meal
+began, but when it was over the table was bare of everything in the
+provision line!
+
+In the joy and comfort of being full-fed, Mose, Captain Joe, and Teddy
+rolled up in a common rug on the floor, in a corner where they would
+not be in the way, and went to sleep. Clay and Red went out on deck
+while the others washed the dishes.
+
+"Are you thinking of sticking about this section all night?" asked the
+latter.
+
+"Only for a short time," Clay answered. "We'll fix the motors,
+directly, and go on down the river. Why do you ask the question? Don't
+you want to stay here?"
+
+"I was thinking," Red observed, quite coolly, "that, with the lights
+going, and the shore not far away, Sam might be thinking of taking a
+shot or two at the boys!"
+
+"But he hasn't any gun!" Clay exclaimed.
+
+"Yes, he has," Red returned. "He has a gun that wasn't found on him.
+He keeps it in a watertight sack under his left arm. He's used to
+taking to the water!"
+
+"And you think he will hang about the bank, walking down from where he
+was put off, and try to pick us off?" asked Clay. "How far are we now
+from the mud bank he mounted?"
+
+"Not more than a couple of miles," was the reply. "We are in water
+that shows only a trace of current now, because there is a great
+headland just below, and the flood has packed the curve full. He
+probably has been able to keep up with the boat."
+
+"That isn't going very fast!" laughed Clay, "for it has been at least
+two hours since he left the boat. The moon, which is in the first
+quarter, sets about eleven, and it is hiding itself in the trees
+already!"
+
+"I wouldn't advise sticking hereabouts," insisted Red. "I can say no
+more!"
+
+"All right!" Clay replied. "We'll fix the motors and start on down.
+Here, Case," he called out, "did you bring the repairs?"
+
+"Surest thing you know!" was the answer, and in a short time Clay was
+at work on the motive power, which was not much out of repair and was
+soon fixed.
+
+"You know, of course," Clay said to Red, as the _Rambler_, under
+perfect control, started down stream at a pace which kept the
+driftwood from lunging against her stern, "that I recognize you as the
+man who talked with me out of the river at Cairo?"
+
+"I never suspected it!" was the slow reply. "How do you know I'm the
+man?"
+
+"Your voice!" was the reply. "It puzzled me at first, though."
+
+"I'll have to trade voices with some river rascal!" grinned Red.
+
+"You spoke, that night, about a boy who had come on board?" Clay said,
+tentatively.
+
+"That was my business there," Red replied, with a slight frown.
+
+"Where did the boy go that night? We never saw him after the officers
+came on board. He must have swum to the Missouri shore."
+
+"He did," was the hesitating reply. "He made it, too!"
+
+"Why didn't he remain with us?" asked Clay.
+
+"He got scared! If I had kept away he might have done so."
+
+"Is he your son?" was the next question Clay asked.
+
+Red looked the boy in the face steadily for a moment and then asked:
+
+"You don't want to harm the lad, do you?"
+
+"I want to help him," was the reply. "He looked so forlorn, and wet,
+and cold, and hungry, that I've thought of him a lot since. Where is
+he now?"
+
+"Well," Red said, in a perplexed tone, "that is what I can't tell
+you."
+
+"Because you don't know where he is?" demanded Clay.
+
+"No; not that. I know where he is, but I can't tell you."
+
+"Is the child implicated in any crime?" Clay asked, looking sharply
+into the man's flushed face. "Is there any reason why he can't go with
+us?"
+
+"Why do you suggest crime in connection with the kid?" demanded Red, a
+frown on his face. "He may be associated with criminals, innocently,
+and yet be worthy of all your confidence and esteem!"
+
+They talked a long time about the boy, about the events of the day,
+and about the future plans of the _Rambler_ boys. The boat made good
+progress during the night while all save Clay and his strange
+companion slept. With the first flush of dawn Red asked to be put
+ashore, refusing to give any reason for wanting to leave the boat.
+
+"You've used me mighty white," he said at parting, "and there'll come
+another day! Don't you ever forget that, lads! There'll come another
+day! And if you come across that waif again, just feed him, and warm
+him, and clothe him, and pass him on to wherever he wants to go. Thank
+you all!" and he was gone!
+
+"What do you think of that for a mystery?" Clay asked as the man
+disappeared in a grove near the landing. "We shall hear from Red
+again."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+MORE RIVER OUTLAWS
+
+
+"And I have a notion that we'll run across that waif again," Case
+said. "I imagine that he is somewhere down the river, and that Red
+will not be far away when we come to him. Somehow, we bunt into
+mysteries wherever we go!"
+
+"I've got a hunch," Alex. exclaimed, "that we are headed for news of
+that warehouse robbery at Rock Island! It seems to me too, that the
+boy had something to do, with it, or is mixed up in it in some way."
+
+"He looked pretty lean and shabby for a chap who had been interested
+in a diamond robbery!" Jule suggested. "Perhaps he's not guilty--just
+suspected!"
+
+The day was fine and the flood was running out. The river showed less
+wreckage than had been seen the day before, for the lowering water
+caused much of it to land on headlands and sandbars. During the
+forenoon the _Rambler_, which was still leaking a trifle, passed
+several river shanties and houseboats, tied up below half-submerged
+islands, where they were protected from wreckage.
+
+These houseboats are common all along the Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee
+and Mississippi rivers. Fishermen and indolent river characters live
+in them the year round. Some of the boats are of good size and well
+built and furnished, while others are merely shanties built on rafts
+of logs and other spoils taken from the waters.
+
+Many of the boats carry whole families, and go sailing toward the Gulf
+with streamers of shirts and petticoats blowing from clotheslines.
+Others carry two or three men and numberless dogs. Those who reside on
+the boats live principally on fish, and on corn meal and pork
+purchased with the proceeds of fish sales.
+
+Shortly after dinner the boys were asked to come on board a shanty
+boat navigated by two men and numerous dogs, so the _Rambler_ was run
+alongside and Clay and Alex. went aboard, where they were warmly
+welcomed by two Chicago young men who were making the river trip in
+the way of a winter vacation. Their quarters were crude but
+comfortable. They had had a rough voyage because of the flood, but
+declared that they were going down to the Gulf if the raft held out.
+
+Almost the first question Clay asked was about the Rock Island
+robbery.
+
+"So you have been overhauled by the officers, too, have you?" laughed
+one of the young men, called Ben by his chum. "We had a bit of that,
+also, but the officers didn't remain with us very long. It doesn't
+take a week to search our craft!"
+
+"Are you sure they were officers?" asked Clay.
+
+"Oh, yes, they were officers, all right. They asked for a boy of about
+twelve, who, they declared, had been seen down the river, and who is
+believed to have been associated with the Rock Island robbers. They
+also asked for a man of six feet and over, with red hair."
+
+Clay looked at Alex. significantly and asked for any news they might
+have of the robbery--any details they might have learned.
+
+"Oh, we got the story from a St. Louis newspaper we begged of a
+steamer captain," was the reply. "It seems that the silks, furs, and
+diamonds stolen were stored in the warehouse one day and taken out by
+thieves that same night. A boy answering to the description of the one
+the officers asked for was seen about the premises during the
+afternoon, and at one time he was observed in the company of a giant
+of a man with red hair.
+
+"It is the theory of the police that the thieves captured the boy and
+forced him to enter through a broken window and unfastened the door,
+à~la Oliver Twist. They believe that if he can be caught he will be
+able to identify the robbers if they are caught. The red-headed man
+was seen in the city, wandering about the streets, aimlessly, on the
+night of the crime. It is not believed that he was interested in the
+robbery personally. However, they want him because he seemed to take a
+great interest in the boy."
+
+"Have the officers found any of the stolen property?" asked Alex.
+
+"Not that we know of," was the reply. "The robbers got off handily,
+and it is believed they put the goods on board some river boat and
+sent them down toward New Orleans. Diamonds, silks and furs can be
+hidden in a small space."
+
+The boys visited with the strangers for an hour or more and then went
+on down the river, sailing a very little faster than the shanty boat,
+which depended entirely on the current, and which was obliged to tie
+up at intervals to avoid wreckage.
+
+"I've got a notion," Alex. said, as the boys left the shanty boat in
+the distance, "that the newspaper story is the right one. That boy
+never took part in that robbery of his own free will, though. I am
+sure of it! And the man? That was Red he described, eh?"
+
+"It undoubtedly was," Clay replied, thoughtfully.
+
+"That's your bosom friend!" Alex. grinned. "You let him escape!"
+
+"What else could I do, under the circumstances?" demanded Clay. "The
+fellow saved my life! Sam would have murdered me only for him!"
+
+"Well, if he's on the level, what's he doing with a man like Sam?"
+questioned Alex., still grinning.
+
+"We shall have to leave that question to the future," was the short
+reply.
+
+"You believe that Red had a hand in the robbery at Rock Island?"
+persisted the boy.
+
+"I don't think anything about it! I'm waiting for additional
+information!"
+
+"Well, we've got a long way to go yet," Case cut in, "and we may meet
+with the red-headed man again. We may meet him in some jail yet, if
+our luck doesn't change!"
+
+"Speaking about jails," Alex. questioned, "what do you make of the old
+jail of a house Jule and I were locked up in? What do you think they
+wanted to hold us for?"
+
+"Probably to keep you from spying on what was going on there," Clay
+suggested.
+
+"But what was going on there?" asked Alex. "That is what _we_ didn't
+find out!"
+
+"Whatever it was," Jule observed, "the people interested in keeping it
+secret took long chances when they left us in the dark room with only
+an old man to guard us. And imagine them never knowing that Mose and
+the dog were in the grounds!"
+
+At mention of Mose Alex. burst into a roar of laughter.
+
+"I never saw a human face that showed real fear until I saw Mose
+looking in at the broken window!" he said, directly. "I have seen men
+and women show fright, but never anything like that! He thought he had
+come on a collection of ghosts! I presume he thought we, Jule and I,
+were dead and buried in the cellar, and that our spirits had come
+forth to haunt the murderers! And he streaked it away like a flash of
+light!"
+
+"There's probably nothing worse than the manufacture of moonshine
+whisky going on in the old house," Case contributed. "Or the loot from
+the warehouse may have been stored there," he added. "The boys heard
+heavy articles being moved, though they may have been scared stiff and
+mistook the footsteps of a mouse for the heavy noises!"
+
+"I hope you'll get in just such a predicament some day!" growled Jule.
+"It wasn't any fun, sitting there in the dark! And I expected that
+crazy old man to shoot us any moment! I believe he was crazy! He acted
+as if he was!"
+
+"That's right!" exclaimed Case. "Keep on talking, and I won't have to
+wash a dish all the way to the Gulf. I love to hear you get funny."
+
+"That will do for you!" cried Jule, gleefully. "I see you washing the
+supper dishes right now!"
+
+"I'd like to go back and investigate that old house," Alex. observed.
+"It would be great fun! I believe it stood there when the
+cave-dwellers lived along the Chickasaw bluffs, and that was before De
+Soto discovered the river and was buried in its depths."
+
+"I thought La Salle discovered the Mississippi," Case said, with a
+wink at Clay.
+
+"He made a stab at navigating it from the Illinois river down," Alex.
+answered, seeing that Case was prodding him in the desire of receiving
+information. "But he gave the wrong course to the stream. The real
+Mississippi turns at St. Louis and runs off toward the Rocky
+Mountains."
+
+"Yes it does!" exclaimed Jule. "You're in need of mental rest, young
+man."
+
+"Certainly it does," Alex. insisted. "The longest stretch of water
+takes the river name, doesn't it? Well, the Missouri is about three
+thousand miles long from the fountain-heads of the Gallatin, Madison
+and Red Rock lakes to the junction with the Mississippi, while from
+the junction to headwaters the Mississippi is only about twelve
+hundred miles long!"
+
+"It does seem as if the longest river should carry the name," said
+Case. "In that event, this would be the Missouri river!"
+
+"Sure it would," insisted Alex. "The river from the Red Rock lakes to
+the Gulf is the longest river in the world--eight hundred miles longer
+than the Amazon, though not so wide! Some day the name of the Missouri
+will become the Mississippi, or the Mississippi will be called the
+Missouri!"
+
+The boys argued over the proposition for a long time, until it was
+time to get supper, and then Clay and Alex. began watching for ducks,
+with which the river swarms at times. While they secured three
+fair-sized birds, Alex. caught fish, and insisted on their being
+cooked with the ducks.
+
+"I'll never get enough to eat if I leave the menu to you boys," he
+declared, "and Mose feels about it just as I do!" he added, pulling
+the little negro's ear.
+
+"Ah sure do feel empty!" answered Mose, rolling up his eyes.
+
+The Mississippi is a tangle of channels and islands above Memphis, and
+the boys decided to tie up for the night on the down-stream side of
+one of the little "tow-heads" which are so frequently seen close to
+larger islands. These are formed by deposits of sand and vegetable
+matter, but they increase in size rapidly as soon as cotton-wood brush
+takes possession of the new ground, assisting materially in resisting
+the encroachments of the current.
+
+The islands of the Mississippi are numerous and uncertain as to
+location. They have all been formed by the cutting of new channels
+across headlands. The river itself winds like a very crooked snake
+through the soft bottom lands of the south, and the water is forever
+finding new and shorter ways to reach the Gulf.
+
+From the junction of the Ohio, there are one hundred and twenty-five
+numbered islands from Cairo to Bayou la Fourche, in Louisiana, and
+besides these there are nearly as many more which bear the names of
+the owners. Many of these islands are grown up with impenetrable
+thickets or show only deserted fields.
+
+In proceeding down the great river the boys had kept on only
+sufficient power to gain steerway, as they were in no haste to reach
+the Gulf of Mexico, which was their final destination on that trip.
+They decided that day to travel nights no more.
+
+After supper had been eaten the boys switched on all the lights and
+sat out on deck. There was a brilliant moon, but they preferred to let
+everybody in that vicinity know that they were there--hence the
+electric lights.
+
+"If any one sneaks up on us now," Alex. laughed, "he'll have to get to
+us by the under-water route! And, even then, one of us would be apt to
+see him. Captain Joe is losing his record as a watch dog, but I guess
+Teddy can take his place."
+
+Captain Joe, as if he understood every word that had been said, and
+resented the insinuation, walked up to the prow and sat in a
+meditative mood, looking over the small "tow-head" which sheltered the
+boat from the current. He sat there motionless so long that Alex.
+finally called attention to him.
+
+"Ah knows what he's done seein'!" exclaimed Mose. "Dar's a big fat
+coon watchin' us from dat mess ob bushes. Ah done seen him long time
+ago!"
+
+An inspection of the spot pointed out showed half a dozen evil-looking
+negroes watching the boat.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+FIRE-FACES ON THE ISLAND
+
+
+"What are they squatting there watching the boat for?" queried Jule,
+as the prow light fell full on the group of negroes on the island.
+"They don't look good to me!"
+
+"If we keep away from them," Case suggested, "and don't try to stare
+them out of countenance, they'll probably keep away from us. They do
+look fierce, though!"
+
+While the boys discussed the matter the negroes moved away from the
+shore of the island, where they were under the boat lights, and
+secreted themselves behind a patch of willows which fringed the
+"tow-head," for the place where they were was little else.
+
+"I don't believe they have any idea of letting us alone, if they can
+manage to get on board the _Rambler_," Clay declared. "I have often
+read that lawless negroes and whites are alike alert for plunder
+during flood seasons, and it is floating goods those fellows are
+after, unless I am much mistaken. We'll have to keep a sharp watch
+to-night."
+
+"Wouldn't it be wiser to drive them away?" asked Alex., with one of
+his grins.
+
+"We have no right to drive them away," Case suggested. "We may get
+into trouble if we try it. I'll watch half the night and not mind it
+at all."
+
+Alex. nudged Jule in the side and whispered in his ear for a moment.
+
+"Jule and I will watch the first half," he then said. "Perhaps they
+will go off home by midnight, and Case won't have to watch at all."
+
+"Alex.," Clay exclaimed, "you've got some mischief in your mind.
+Heretofore you've come out of your scrapes with whole bones, but
+sometime you'll get into serious trouble if you don't stop running out
+nights. I strongly advise you to let those levee negroes alone! You go
+to bed early, and I'll watch the boat!"
+
+"Who's got mischief in the mind?" grinned Alex. "I guess I can stay up
+until midnight without gettin' into trouble! You see if I don't make
+the dandy watchman to-night! When it comes to keeping guard, I'm the
+candy boy!"
+
+"You usually manage to get into trouble when you are left alone!"
+laughed Clay.
+
+"If I can't be good to-night," grinned Alex., "I'll be careful."
+
+Nothing more was seen of the negroes at that time, although the boys
+were satisfied that they were still on the island, as no boat had been
+seen to leave it.
+
+After a time Clay, Case and Mose went to bed, leaving Alex., Jule,
+Captain Joe, and Teddy on deck. The dog seemed particularly wide
+awake, moving about as if he scented danger, while the cub sat looking
+toward the island with twitching nostrils.
+
+"Seems as if the dog and the cub know there's something coming off
+here to-night," Jule remarked, as Captain Joe put his paw on the
+gunwale and sniffed the air. "Do you really think they have a way of
+discovering approaching peril which human beings have not? Captain Joe
+certainly looks as if he saw something unpleasant coming."
+
+"I often think dogs have an instinct which warns them of danger,"
+Alex. replied.
+
+"Well," Jule went on, "we'll soon see what comes of the signals of
+danger he is now handing out to us! Whatever he sees or senses is on
+that island."
+
+The boys watched for a long time, but there came no sounds of life
+from the island.
+
+"You're like the dog," Jule said to Alex., presently. "You are getting
+ready for a break of some sort! Suppose you loosen up and tell me what
+it is?"
+
+"You remember that night on the Amazon, when we scared the life out of
+a couple of renegade Englishmen and a native Indian?" asked Alex.
+
+"Sure I do!" was the reply. "That was the funniest ever!"
+
+"Well," Alex. explained, "I'm goin' to try something like that on
+these negroes."
+
+"Better let 'em alone!" advised Jule. "They are wise to tricks!"
+
+"Shucks!" Alex. laughed. "I'll have them walking on their heads, and
+walking the water at that. I wish I had a boat, so I wouldn't have to
+swim to the island!"
+
+"We've lost a rowboat every trip!" Jule exclaimed. "I wonder why we
+didn't pick the one we had off the raft and fix it up. It wasn't badly
+smashed."
+
+"We may find it yet," Alex. said, hopefully. "We have come down just a
+little faster than the current, and so it is probably behind us. When
+it comes down we'll get it and make it as good as new."
+
+"Yes, when we get it!" laughed Jule. "There's a thousand people along
+the island beaches and mainland levees watching for boats! Just like
+these negroes are watching for anything at all that seems worth
+picking out of the water!"
+
+"It won't do any harm to keep a lookout for it," Alex. decided. "Now,"
+he added, turning out the lights and throwing off his coat, "do you
+want to go to the shore with me? If you will go I'll show you a race
+that will beat anything you ever saw."
+
+"And leave the boat alone?" demanded Jule. "I should say not. I'll
+remain here and see that your retreat is properly covered. You'll want
+some one here to hold a gun on the negroes you seem determined to stir
+up."
+
+"Now don't get a grouch on," pleaded Alex. "I'm doing this purely in
+the interest of science! I want to see how far the emancipation
+proclamation has relieved the negroes of the south from the old-time
+superstitions of the race! Not to put too fine a point upon it, kid, I
+want to see what a good healthy ghost will do to a lot of river
+thieves! Do you get me?"
+
+"Going to play ghost, are you," laughed Jule. "Then I'll be a ghost,
+too!"
+
+Alex. listened at the cabin door for a moment, but heard no sounds
+indicating the lack of sleep on the inside. Then he crept in, fumbled
+around in the darkness until he found two old bathing suits and a
+square package which smelled of sulphur.
+
+"Now," he explained to Jule, as he came out, "we'll put on these
+bathing suits, so as to have dry clothes ready when we return from the
+island! You take a part of the matches, for we may become separated in
+the thicket. We won't do the Mephisto act until we get to the island,
+then rub the sulphur on thick--on your hands and face."
+
+"I guess I know how!" Jule remonstrated.
+
+The boys placed their clothing in two piles on the deck and donned the
+bathing suits--much to the wonder of Captain Joe, who wrinkled his
+nose and looked suspiciously at the boys. His remarks on the subject
+of bathing in a swift river in the night time were not in favor of the
+experiment. However, he crouched down by Alex.'s feet and expressed
+himself as willing to share in the doubtful expedition.
+
+"When we get into the willows," Alex. explained, "I'll let out a yell
+which will put Mose's efforts in that direction away to the bad! Then
+you run at them on the right and I'll close in on the left, and we'll
+see a race that will put the Greek events out on a blind siding with
+fires banked. When you are ready, drop in and swim for the bunch of
+willows straight ahead. Swim slow and don't make any noise."
+
+The boys left the dark deck of the _Rambler_ and entered the water.
+There was little current where the boat lay, and they had no
+difficulty in making the willows pointed out by the promoter of the
+midnight excursion. The lights of Memphis made a faint haze in the sky
+to the south. The wash of the river drowned all individual noises. In
+the distance the caving of a bank sent down a heavy sound.
+
+Believing that they had left the boat without awakening any of the
+sleepers and landed on the island without attracting the attention of
+the negroes, the boys crouched down in a thicket and listened.
+
+The moon, which would set about midnight, was low down in the west,
+and gave a fitful light at rare intervals. There was a heavy mass of
+thunderheads in the sky, and few stars showed through. There were no
+indications of a light or fire on the island.
+
+The boys, however, were much mistaken in their understanding of the
+situation. When they dropped off the deck of the _Rambler_, Clay poked
+his head out of the cabin and watched them as far as the darkness
+would permit. Then he returned to the cabin, put on a bathing suit and
+took a square box from the cupboard.
+
+The box contained the reserve weapons and flashlights of the party and
+was waterproof. With this in his hand, and leaving Captain Joe on
+guard, with strict orders not to leave the deck, he entered the water
+and swam toward the shore, turning away from the bunch of willows
+where the two boys had landed.
+
+Of course he did not know that Alex. and Jule had left the water
+there, but it seemed to him that they would naturally select the
+nearest point as their landing place. Once on shore he sat down to
+await developments.
+
+He was certain that Alex. and Jule had entered upon a dangerous
+expedition. The river negroes of the south are by no means as
+superstitious as is generally believed, and Clay knew it. He doubted
+if they would run far at sight of a face blazing with sulphur. It was
+his opinion that the boys would be the ones to start the race!
+
+The negroes were sure to be armed, and they might be drunk, in which
+case they would not be likely to permit the outer spirits to bluff the
+inner spirits! Besides, they might have valuable plunder on the
+island, and some would be brave enough to remain and fight for it.
+
+Of course, if Clay had gravely asked the boys to give over their
+proposed joy visit to the island, they would undoubtedly have done so,
+but he did not care to do that. His thought was that he ought not to
+attempt to control the actions of he boys, as they all stood equal on
+the trip, no one having authority over the others.
+
+Besides, if the truth must be told, Clay, himself, was not averse to a
+little excitement! In addition, he was anxious to know what was doing
+on the island, and why the negroes were assembled there.
+
+Another feature of the situation was that a watcher on the beach saw
+all three forms in the water as they left the boat! When the lads
+landed, Alex. and Jule at the clump of willows and Clay farther to the
+west, this watcher lost no time in communicating with his fellows in
+their rough-and-ready camp near the center of the little "tow-head."
+
+The noise made by the negroes in getting ready to meet whatever attack
+might be made upon them gave the location of their camp to Clay, and
+he pressed as close to it as it was possible for him to do without
+advancing into the open, where he might have been seen during any
+moment of moonlight.
+
+It was a chill night, and there was a wind blowing from the west which
+seemed to cut into his bones, but Clay sat down not far from the camp
+and awaited the opening of the drama! He could hear the campers moving
+about, but could not distinguish the words spoken. The moon sank out
+of sight for good before any movement was made.
+
+Then Clay saw a figure fit to frighten the most courageous leave the
+fringe of willows and advance deliberately toward the center of the
+island. He had hard work to make himself understand that the thing he
+saw was only one of the boys. If the very Old Scratch himself had set
+foot on the "tow-head" he could not have presented a more sinister
+appearance. Clay watched the advance of the figure with bated breath.
+
+In a second after the figure appeared, flaming of face and pointing
+hands, with a great cross of fire on what appeared to be a naked
+breast, a long, wavering cry went up from the camp, and then there
+came a rush of feet. Clay could not tell at first which way the feet
+were going, but a moment convinced him that they were putting a swift
+distance between the camp and the devil-figure approaching.
+
+When a second figure, marked like the first, appeared the shrieks of
+alarm, the running of frightened feet, were drowned by the commands of
+a bull-like voice to stop the panic-stricken flight and use revolver
+and knife!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HALF FULL OF DIAMONDS
+
+
+At that moment, notwithstanding the commotion and the threats of
+coming trouble, Clay felt like congratulating Alex. and Jule on the
+manner in which they were carrying out their reckless plans. More
+blood-curdling shrieks than now proceeded from the throats of the boys
+he had never heard.
+
+Knowing that defeat, perhaps death, would instantly follow on the
+heels of retreat, Alex. and Jule charged the camp, swinging their
+fire-coated arms and uttering cries which it did not seem possible
+could issue forth from human lips. There naturally followed a swifter
+flight on the part of the negroes.
+
+But three or four black men, less superstitious, or having more at
+stake, than the others, stood their ground, calling to their
+companions that it was a white man's trick, and that they should
+return and ascertain by the use of steel and lead just how human their
+visitors were. For a time the voices of the courageous ones did not
+check the mad rush for the river, but finally a group gathered on the
+beach and engaged in conversation, which, of course, Clay could not
+hear.
+
+Alex. and Jule now "disappeared" in approved "ghost" fashion--that is,
+they drew black cloths over their faces and hands so that their
+flaming make-up could no longer be seen. In fact, it was now so dark,
+the moon having set, that even the figures of the boys could not be
+seen when they crouched on the ground. The negroes on the beach were
+only visible because they formed quite a large group and kept
+constantly in excited motion.
+
+Clay wondered if the boys would now understand that their trick had
+failed and make for the _Rambler_. At the first rush the negroes had
+fled, but they were now listening to arguments intended to reassure
+them, and the ultimate result was not in doubt.
+
+Before long the black men would swarm back to the camp, perhaps make a
+thorough search of the entire "tow-head," in which case the boys were
+sure to be discovered, unless they made their way back to the boat
+before the search began. Clay placed himself between the camp and the
+boat and waited, thinking that his reserve weapons might be needed.
+
+The information that he had seen figures leaving the boat just before
+the advent of the "ghosts," as given by the watcher, had instant
+effect on the negroes. They swarmed back toward the camp, making a
+great many more threats than Clay thought was necessary! Two familiar
+figures now came dashing toward Clay, and he called out softly to them
+to halt a moment. The figures developed into two rather frightened
+boys as soon as they came close to the watcher.
+
+"Me for the boat!" panted Jule. "I reckon these coons know a ghost
+when they see one--not! Me for the feathers, too when I light! Come
+on, Alex!"
+
+"Go on and get aboard!" Alex. urged. "I want to see Clay a moment."
+
+Jule darted away and was soon out of sight. Although he had carefully
+made up as a disciple of Old Nick, he was careful not to exhibit any
+of his trade-marks as he moved towards the boat! Clay and Alex. stood
+listening to the commotion for a moment, and then the latter panted,
+taking Clay's arm as he did so, and drawing him back toward the camp:
+
+"When I got up there," he said, "I stumbled over some one lying on the
+ground! I felt about for a minute and found pretty much rags! Then
+some one told me to get off the island or I would be murdered."
+
+"Go on!" Clay said excitedly. "We have no time to lose if we are to
+investigate this matter. Was the person you talked with a prisoner?"
+
+"Sure he was. He asked me to cut the cords, but I had no knife with me
+and so had to make an effort to untie them. The captive talked while I
+was at work on the knots, and who do you think it was. Give you three
+guesses!"
+
+"Hurry! Hurry! We have no time to lose, I tell you, if the captive is
+in need of our assistance. Who is it?"
+
+"The kid who came on board the _Rambler_ at Cairo!" replied Alex.
+
+"And you had to leave him there--tied?"
+
+"What else could I do?" asked Alex. "I didn't have even a knife! This
+foolish bathing suit has no pockets, so I brought no arms with me.
+What could I do, when the coons were making a rush for the camp?"
+
+"We've got to get that kid!" Clay cried.
+
+"If they would only go away for a minute," Alex. declared, "I could
+get him and bring him to the boat, ropes and all!"
+
+A shot came from the _Rambler_, and, turning, the boys saw that the
+craft was aglow with electric lights! Instantly they crouched lower in
+the willows, for the strong prow lamp cast a ray far over on the
+"tow-head."
+
+Another shot came from the boat, and then the negroes at the camp made
+a break for the beach, passing within a rod of where the two boys lay
+concealed.
+
+"Shall we take them in the rear?" asked Alex. "They have attacked the
+boat."
+
+"Don't shoot!" warned Clay. "Remember that we had no right to molest
+them in the first place! The boys on the boat are awake, or the lights
+wouldn't be on. They can protect themselves, I reckon. I hope Jule is
+in a safe place!"
+
+The lights were still on, but not a person could be seen. Then more
+shots came, and Clay saw that the boys were firing through the small
+port holes in the gunwale, and that the negroes were contenting
+themselves with firing volley after volley at the cabin windows, which
+were now void of glass!
+
+While the boys on shore watched with intense anxiety, the motors of
+the _Rambler_ were heard, and then the boat began to drop down stream.
+
+"I wonder if Jule got on board?" Alex. asked.
+
+"If he met with no opposition on the way he probably did," was the
+reply. "At least we must suppose that he is either on the boat or in
+hiding on the island."
+
+"Come on, then!" shouted Alex. "We'll make a success of this excursion
+yet. We'll take possession of the camp. I want a confidential talk
+with the prisoner!"
+
+"You'll be getting a confidential talk with a bullet pretty soon, if
+you don't pay more attention to getting off!" Clay answered. "The boat
+has dropped down, and the negroes will soon be back here. It is
+another swim! What?"
+
+Almost before Clay had done speaking Alex. was off in the darkness.
+Clay could just see his figure moving along the ground, so he followed
+on after him, wondering what new trick the lad had in mind. The light
+from the _Rambler_ grew fainter every instant. For some reason unknown
+to Clay, the boat was being moved down stream a long way.
+
+In a moment Clay saw Alex. bending over a figure lying on the ground
+at the edge of a rude windbreak of willow bushes, cut and woven
+together.
+
+"Where's the coon's boat?" he asked, hurriedly.
+
+Clay smiled happily. He had not thought of that!
+
+"Off there on the east side," replied the boy. "Have you got a knife
+yet?"
+
+For answer Alex. seized the lad by the feet and called out to Clay:
+
+"Catch him by the shoulders, and we'll carry him!"
+
+Clay was not slow in following the suggestion, and the boys soon had
+the captive between the fringe of willows and the water. The boat was
+there, a large, four-oared craft which was partly filled with plunder
+taken from the river. The negroes were evidently making a business of
+gathering supplies from the flood. Just then Jule came up, out of
+breath from a stumbling run in the dark.
+
+The captive was placed on board, and then Clay seized a pair of heavy
+oars.
+
+"Take the helm," he called to Alex., "and you help with the oars,
+Jule," he added.
+
+Then the craft shot out into the current. When she came around the
+corner of the little island, where the light from the _Rambler_ struck
+her a series of frantic shouts came from the men huddled on the south
+bank, and a few shots were fired, but, the current running swiftly,
+they were soon out of range.
+
+"Let 'em swim," chuckled Alex. "A bath will be good for what ails
+them!"
+
+"Alex.," remarked Clay, panting with the heavy work at the oars, "you
+deserve a Carnegie medal!"
+
+"Sure!" chuckled the other. "I'm the Johnny-on-the-Spot when it comes
+to prescribing healthful stunts for the working classes! Where is that
+boat going?" he added as the _Rambler_ disappeared around a distant
+bend in the stream.
+
+"This is what comes of running off in the night without telling the
+boys what we were up to!" panted Jule. "This is some boat, when it
+comes to weight."
+
+In ten minutes the lights of the _Rambler_ were in sight again, the
+rowboat having passed around the bend. Then Clay took out a
+searchlight and began making signals to those on board. Directly an
+answering signal came from the boat, and then the lights halted,
+turned, and came up stream.
+
+"You're a nice lot of watchmen!" Case called out, as the two boats
+came close together. "We thought you had caught a floater boat and
+drifted down stream."
+
+"This," grinned Alex., "is the only old and original relief
+expedition. We have with us to-night a brand snatched from the coons!"
+
+"Hand down a knife!" called Clay. "This lad is capable of climbing on
+board by his own self! And swing around a little so as not to tip us
+over!"
+
+With no little difficulty the boys were landed on the deck of the
+_Rambler_. Case regarded the visitor with a quizzical smile as he bent
+over him.
+
+"Did you take a dive at Cairo," he asked, "and come up at Memphis?"
+
+The boy answered only by a weary smile, and Mose stood staring at him
+with widening eyes, while Captain Joe sniffed suspiciously at his worn
+garments. Teddy invited him to a boxing match!
+
+"I'll go you boys a dollar to an apple," Case observed, "that this kid
+is still empty! He looks it! Anyway, I'll go and get him something to
+eat!"
+
+"And don't forget the heroic rescuers!" Alex. called out. "I haven't
+had a thing to eat since supper! Say, kid," he went on, "what's your
+name?"
+
+"Chester Vinton," was the reply, in a frightened voice. "I'm running
+away."
+
+"You wasn't running very fast when we found you!" commented Alex. "How
+did you come to mix with those wreckers?"
+
+"I was on a raft," was the answer, "and I was hungry, and I saw them
+on the island, and asked them for something to eat. They tied me up!"
+
+"Why didn't you stay on board the boat at Cairo?" asked Clay.
+
+"I was afraid," was the reply.
+
+"Red is back up the river looking for you," Jule observed, still
+shivering from his exposure to the cold water. "He took passage with
+us part of the way down."
+
+"I should think he did!" chuckled Alex. "And he was a first cabin
+passenger at that!"
+
+"Well," Clay decided, presently, "perhaps we'd better feed this boy
+and put him to bed. He looks as if he'd been up against something
+hard."
+
+The lad ate ravenously, and then began undressing. Clay sat in the
+cabin with him. He was full of wonderment at this second meeting with
+the boy, and wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but decided to
+wait until the lad was in better condition.
+
+As the visitor threw his ragged clothes off a thud on the floor told
+of something of considerable weight in one of the pockets.
+
+"Do you carry a gun, lad?" he asked, stooping over to lift the
+trousers.
+
+The boy bounded forward and snatched at the trousers, but Clay was too
+quick for him. The article which had made the noise on the floor was a
+leather bag.
+
+An investigation showed that it was half full of diamonds of
+exceptional quality!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A RIVER ROBBER IN A NEW ROLE
+
+
+With half a dozen stones of splendid value rolling over the palm of
+his hand, Clay regarded the boy accusingly.
+
+"Where did you get the diamonds?" he asked.
+
+The boy did not answer. Clay had expected confusion and shame. Instead
+he met with anger and reproach. Chester ("Chet" from that day forward)
+shot forward like an arrow and tried to wrest the bag from his hands.
+Clay put him back tolerantly.
+
+"Give them back to me!" Chet shouted so loudly that the boys out on
+the deck entered the cabin and stood in an astonished group about the
+two.
+
+Clay, grasping the bag and the lose gems, held his hands high above
+his head.
+
+"Where did you get them?" he persisted.
+
+"Give them back to me!" yelled Chet. "You've been following me for
+this, have you? You're all as bad as the river thieves I've met up
+with! Give them to me!"
+
+"What do you think of the little one for a diamond dip?" asked Alex.,
+pointing at the flushed face of the agitated boy. "He's some clever!"
+
+"I reckon he belongs with Red, the Robber, all right!" Jule put in.
+
+"He seems to be pretty well fixed!" laughed Case. "Those gems are
+worth more than a hundred thousand dollars! Did you swipe them from
+the men who robbed the Rock Island warehouse, kid?" he added.
+
+Chet turned a flaming face toward this new accuser.
+
+"Don't you dare call me a thief!" he shouted. "The diamonds are mine!
+I never stole them. Give them back to me, you--you--river pirates!"
+
+"That's good, coming from him!" grinned Alex. "Come on, little one,
+and tell us who these stones belong to."
+
+"I tell you they are mine!" Chet again insisted. "I never stole them!
+You give them back to me! If I had the strength I'd tear your heart
+out!"
+
+"Of course!" laughed Clay. "Of course you'd do something desperate if
+you had the strength! But don't trouble yourself about the diamonds!
+If they belong to you, you shall have them. But we don't want to
+harbor a thief, you know!"
+
+"I don't believe you'll ever give them back to me!" sobbed the boy.
+"I've brought them down the river, all this way, to be robbed of them
+at last!"
+
+In a spasm of grief the lad threw himself on the cabin floor and burst
+into an uncontrollable fit of weeping. The boys stood around for a
+moment, looking rather sheepishly at each other, and then all left the
+cabin but Clay.
+
+"Come kid," the latter said, lifting Chet from the floor and holding
+him in his arms like a baby, "don't act like you'd lost your last
+friend! If you're honest, you've found friends instead of losing them.
+You shall have the diamonds back, if you can show that they belong to
+you. Brace up, now, and go on to bed!"
+
+Chet regarded Clay through wet eyes for a moment and then slipped away
+to the bunk which had been set aside for him. The frank inspection
+seemed to have in a measure restored his equanimity. Clay sat down by
+the side of the bunk, the diamonds in his hands.
+
+"Why don't you tell me all about it?" he asked of the boy. "Why not
+settle the whole matter right here, and so have done with it? Where
+did you get them?"
+
+"I've promised not to tell," was the reply.
+
+"You are not making a very good beginning," Clay admonished.
+
+Chet made no reply whatever, but turned his face away. Clay went on,
+patiently:
+
+"Where is your home?"
+
+"I haven't got any home," was the reply. "I never had one."
+
+"But you must belong somewhere," Clay insisted. "Where did you live
+last?"
+
+"I'm not going to tell you anything at all," Chet replied, "until I
+see the man that made me promise to keep silent, and until he gives me
+leave to talk with you."
+
+"Is the man you mention Red, the riverman?" asked Clay.
+
+"Didn't I just tell you that I wasn't going to talk?" demanded the
+boy.
+
+"All right," Clay responded. "Take all the time you want! In the
+meantime, I'll keep the diamonds. Will you promise to remain on the
+boat?"
+
+"If I had the diamonds, I'd quit you right now!" said the boy,
+savagely. "I may as well tell you the truth. If you keep the diamonds,
+I'll stay until I get them, but I'll find them and take them with me
+if I can. You just mind that!"
+
+"You're a frank little chap, anyway!" laughed Clay.
+
+"I wasn't brought up to tell lies!" was the astonishing reply.
+
+"Who brought you up?" asked Clay. "You just said you never had any
+home!"
+
+"Never did!" was the reply. "Say, you won't blame me if I find where
+you put the diamonds and run off with them, will you?" he added, quite
+gravely.
+
+"I don't see how I can blame you, after such fair warning," laughed
+Clay.
+
+"And you won't help any one to find me?" persisted the little fellow.
+
+"No," answered Clay, "if you are sharp enough to get the diamonds away
+from me, I'll never let on that I ever saw or heard of you. Is that
+satisfactory to you?"
+
+"Will you shake hands on that?" asked Chet, sitting up on the bunk.
+
+"Gladly! Now, go to sleep and wake up in a more communicative mood
+to-morrow."
+
+"I'll stick to what I said!" Chet answered, and Clay left him alone in
+the cabin. When he reached the deck he was at once surrounded by the
+boys, all eager to know the outcome of the conference. Clay told them
+of what had taken place.
+
+"He's a nervy little chap!" Clay concluded, "and I like him very much
+already."
+
+"You bet he's all right, that kid!" Alex. said. "If he wasn't, he
+wouldn't have told you that he would get the gems the first time he
+got a chance. Besides, see how he is keeping the promise made to some
+other fellow! Where are you going to keep the diamonds, Clay?" the boy
+continued. "Don't you ever think the kid won't try hard to find them!
+I hope he won't feel called upon to cut all our throats in order to
+obtain possession of them! I believe he would do it if he thought it
+necessary!"
+
+"Well," Clay answered, speaking in a low tone and looking in through
+the glass panel of the cabin door to see that Chet was still in his
+bunk, "I think I'll go ashore at Memphis, for supplies, you know, and
+put the gems in a deposit box at one of the banks."
+
+"That's a fine idea!" cried Case. "He'll never get them there!"
+
+"But you want to look out that you're not pinched in the bank," Alex.
+advised. "That warehouse robbery is making some noise, and if a boy
+from a river boat is seen to have diamonds, it is the jail house for
+yours!"
+
+"If you put them in a bank deposit box," Jule observed, "you'd better
+do them up so as to look like a package of papers--bonds, or stocks,
+or something like that."
+
+"That is a good idea, too!" Clay exclaimed. "I'll do it!"
+
+"I'd give a lot to know more about the boy and the diamonds," Clay
+mused, as the boys began getting breakfast.
+
+They had talked so long, after reaching the boat, that they had not
+before realized that it was most morning, and now there was a flush in
+the east which told of sunrise.
+
+When Clay went back into the cabin to see about the fire, he found
+Chet crouching on the floor just back of the door. He yawned as Clay
+entered the apartment.
+
+"What are you doing here?" asked Clay, in amazement.
+
+"Guess I'm trying to find my way to the door!" was the half-smiling
+reply. "I didn't seem to know where I was when I woke up!"
+
+Clay accepted the excuse, and went on with his preparation of
+breakfast. However, he doubted what the boy had said. Notwithstanding
+the previous good impression he had formed of the waif, he wondered if
+the lad had not crept out of bed and stationed himself by the door in
+order to hear what was said about the disposition of the gems.
+
+"I'll have to be more careful," Clay thought. "That boy is a clever
+one!"
+
+After breakfast the waif was rigged out with a suit of Alex.'s
+clothes. In the new attire he seemed to be a different boy from the
+one taken from the camp.
+
+The boys did not accept as the truth all he said about himself, though
+that was not much. When he declared that he had never had any home,
+they commented on the fact that his speech and manners were those of a
+boy who had been given a fair education.
+
+Chet at once took to the pets of the boat, Mose, Captain Joe, and
+Teddy, the bear cub, and they immediately recognized him as a member
+of the family.
+
+While he was playing with the cub on the prow, Clay made an oblong
+package of the diamonds, scattering them in between sheets of paper,
+and marked them "Bonds." The bag in which they had been found was half
+filled with burrs, and small bits of a broken dish and tied tight. It
+resembled the bag as it had stood before any change had been made when
+Clay had finished with it.
+
+This bag Clay resolved to keep in his pocket until he could place it
+under the eyes of the boy who claimed it, the idea being to see if he
+really would snatch the supposed prize and take to the river again.
+Clay hoped that he would not, for all liked the little fellow. That
+afternoon they ran down to a Memphis pier and Clay went ashore with
+the gems.
+
+He was in time to secure a deposit box at a bank and stow the diamonds
+away. The cashier with whom he did business asked questions regarding
+his age and permanent residence, and seemed satisfied with his
+answers. He was, indeed, especially interested in Clay's description
+of the _Rambler_ and the voyages the boys had made in her, and asked
+permission to visit the party that evening if he found time.
+
+Clay gladly gave the required permission, ordered supplies sent to the
+pier, and then started out for a look at the beautiful city. Almost at
+the entrance to the bank he met Alex., who had the flushed appearance
+of a boy who had been walking pretty fast.
+
+The two walked together for a block without speaking, save for the
+initial greeting, and then Alex. proposed that they go to a restaurant
+and have a "steak about as big as a parlor rug," as he expressed it.
+Clay agreed, but laughed at the notion.
+
+"Why not take it on board?" he asked. "We can cook it much better than
+any city chef," he added.
+
+"Well," Alex. replied, "I saw a neat little restaurant back here, not
+far from the river front, and I thought I'd like to go there and have
+a feed."
+
+So the two turned into the restaurant, when they came to it, and took
+a small table at a rear corner of the room. It being late for dinner
+and early for supper, there were few in the place.
+
+One party, at the front of the room, at once attracted Clay's
+attention. There were three men in the party, one young, smiling and
+flashily dressed; one old, grizzled and clad in a well-worn business
+suit; and another dressed expensively and with great care. This man
+had a surprising growth of red hair which showed evidences of great
+care. His face was smooth-shaven, and had the appearance of having
+recently been divested of a beard, the flesh showing soft and white,
+as if not long exposed to the weather.
+
+When this man arose to pay the check and laid a hand on the back of a
+chair, Clay noticed that the hand was very large and finely kept. The
+man was something over six feet in height! Clay gave Alex. a kick
+under the table and directed his gaze to the large man, then passing
+over to the cashier's window.
+
+"Take a good look at that man," he whispered. "Ever see him before?"
+
+"I saw him when I passed," was the reply, "and brought you here.
+That's Red, the Robber."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+ALEX. BREAKS FURNITURE
+
+
+"Unless Red, the Robber, has a twin who is an exact duplicate of
+himself," Clay whispered, "that is just who it is!"
+
+"When I passed here," Alex. explained, "the three were just sitting
+down to dinner, and I knew that I could get you back here in time to
+see Red, the Robber, before he could finish the big steak he had just
+tackled. There he is! Now what?"
+
+"It doesn't seem possible that that finely-dressed, well-groomed man
+is really the one who talked with us out on the river at Cairo, and
+who afterwards captured the _Rambler_ by holding a gun about the size
+of a cannon on me," Clay declared.
+
+"And the man who bespoke kind treatment for Chet, the waif," Alex.
+went on. "I guess we're both seeing things not present to the senses!
+There ain't no such man!"
+
+"It can't be!" Clay tried to convince himself. "It can't be the same
+man!"
+
+Yet he knew deep down in his heart that it was the same man! If there
+had been any doubt of the complete identification at the start, there
+was none when the man spoke to the cashier in the full, deep voice
+which Clay knew that he had heard while he was tied up in the cabin of
+the _Rambler_!
+
+"I have heard that river thieves sometimes make up to look like
+bankers and high-up politicians," Alex. whispered.
+
+"And I have heard that bankers and high-up politicians occasionally
+assume the disguises of river characters for some purpose of their
+own," Clay returned.
+
+"Do they mix with murderers and steal motor boats when they do that?"
+asked Alex., with a provoking snicker. "'Cause if they do, this may be
+one of the high-ups!"
+
+"He must recognize us," Clay went on. "Watch and see if you catch in
+him any signs of joy at the meeting!"
+
+"He hasn't yet shown that he knows we are in the room," Alex. replied.
+
+"There's one way to find out who he is," Clay suggested. "When he
+leaves here, you follow him until he enters some house or office and
+ask questions about him after he goes on. I'll do the same here--that
+is, I'll see what the cashier knows about him."
+
+Alex., glad of an opportunity of showing what he could accomplish as a
+detective, readily agreed to this arrangement, and, the man leaving
+the restaurant at the moment, Alex. darted away after him, leaving
+Clay to question the cashier.
+
+The big man, still in the company of his two companions, walked
+briskly toward the river front, after leaving the restaurant, and
+finally came to a stop at a pier some distance down the stream from
+that at which the motor boat lay. Alex. watched the three men shake
+hands gravely and part, the one he believed to be Red going on board a
+small steamer which lay close by with smoke pouring from her stacks.
+
+"Now," thought the boy, "shall I give it up, or shall I sneak on board
+the boat and see what I can learn of this man who poses as a river
+pirate one day and as a gentleman of great respectability the next?"
+
+Alex.'s horse sense told him to wait about the pier until some one
+came off the boat and engage that person in conversation in an effort
+to learn the identity of the man he was following, but his natural
+love of adventure told him to make his way on board and learn there
+what he could, not only of the man, but of the steamer and its
+destination and cargo.
+
+The spirit of adventure won, and Alex., waiting until there was no one
+in sight on the freight deck, ventured on board. There was still no
+one in sight when he reached the staircase leading to the cabin, and
+he proceeded to climb up, listening between steps for indications of
+human life.
+
+He found the indications he sought with a vengeance at the head of the
+stairs. As he stepped up a husky negro seized him by the collar and
+dragged him toward the prow. Alex. kicked and struggled to no purpose.
+The negro was too strong for him. All the time he was carrying him
+along, almost as he would have carried a kitten, the negro kept up a
+running fire of comment.
+
+The boy gathered from this comment that he was regarded as a sneak
+thief, and tried more than once to explain, but the negro kept on
+talking to himself and paid no attention to the words of his prisoner.
+Alex. administered a sturdy kick and gave it up.
+
+Presently a door was opened at the very front end of the cabin and the
+boy was thrust into a small stateroom. The force of his entrance sent
+him against a berth and he crawled up and lay down to think things
+over. He heard the door behind him locked.
+
+"This is a pretty kettle of fish!" grunted the boy, as he looked about
+the room.
+
+It was just an ordinary stateroom, with one bunk, a dresser, and a
+chair. The window looking out on deck was covered by green
+slat-blinds, and ornamental metal-work covered the glass panel of the
+door opening into the cabin.
+
+After taking in the room in all its details, Alex. arose and tried to
+open the green blinds so as to get a look outside. To his surprise he
+found that they would not open. They were of steel, and were there to
+protect the window! The room was as stoutly guarded as a prison cell!
+
+"Red, the Robber, seems to have use for a cell," the boy thought,
+"that is, if this is his boat! I wonder what he thinks he's going to
+do with me?"
+
+Alex. had now no doubt that Red had recognized Clay and himself at the
+restaurant. He wondered if Clay, too, had been trapped! He could not
+make up his mind as to whether the man was a robber or a gentleman of
+business standing, but he knew that he was in a most undesirable
+situation.
+
+Then he began to wonder if Red knew that he was on board! The man had
+given no intimation that he had knowledge of being followed. He,
+Alex., had sneaked on board, like a veritable wharf rat, and the husky
+negro had been fully justified in taking him into custody! Still, the
+negro should have listened to his explanations and given him a chance
+to prove his innocence.
+
+This last view of the case was much more to the liking of the boy than
+the previous one, for Red had shown a friendly spirit while on board
+the _Rambler_, and might now set him free as soon as informed of his
+capture. Clay had permitted Red his freedom under much more trying
+conditions!
+
+"If he's a river thief," Alex. concluded, "he'll keep me here until he
+is sure I can't injure him by telling of his raid on the motor boat,
+but if he is on the level--if he was, for some purpose of his own,
+masquerading while in company with Sam--he will release me as soon as
+he knows I am here--for Clay's sake, if not for my own!"
+
+This was a rather comforting conclusion, so the boy began beating with
+all his might on the panels of the door. He pounded away for some
+moments without hearing the least response, and then sat down to rest.
+
+While he sat there on the berth, panting from his unnoticed exertions,
+the boat quivered in all its timbers, the noise of escaping steam
+reached his ears, and then he knew that the steamer was under way.
+This was the worst thing that could happen to the boy, and he knew it.
+
+The steamer might go to Cuba, or to the upper reaches of the Missouri
+or the Mississippi, separating him from his chums for weeks. If Red
+really was a robber, he would not take the chance of releasing him,
+for that would give him an opportunity to warn those on board the
+_Rambler_, as well as to report to the police the illegal seizure of
+the motor boat!
+
+"I'm going to find out about this!" Alex. declared, springing off the
+berth. "I'm going to do an English suffragette stunt and smash
+windows!"
+
+As his whole mind was set on making a noise so as to attract the
+attention of the man he had followed on board, the boy was by no means
+conservative in his next move.
+
+First he took the light-framed chair which stood by the berth and
+smashed it against the fancy metal work which protected the glass
+panel. The chair went to pieces without touching the glass, so Alex.
+took up a slender leg and, poking it through in between the metal
+work, punched out the pane.
+
+It fell back into the cabin with a rattle, and then Alex., putting his
+face close to the opening, let out a yell which would have done credit
+to an Apache Indian on the warpath! In the meantime the steamer was
+backing out into the current.
+
+"I guess that will let 'em know they have a cabin passenger!" Alex.
+grunted, as he began tossing the fragments of the chair out on the
+cabin floor.
+
+The boy was just considering the firing of his automatic, which had
+not been taken from him by the negro, when a heavy voice near at hand
+broke into a hearty laugh, and the face of the red-headed man appeared
+before the opening, half-shielded by an arm, for the boy was still
+looking for things to throw through.
+
+"What seems to be the difficulty?" the man asked, and Alex. thought he
+saw a twinkle of humor in the blue eyes fixed upon him.
+
+"No difficulty at all," Alex. answered, with a touch of irony in his
+tone. "I'm just doing this for exercise, and to make business for boat
+builders!"
+
+"Of course," laughed the man, "you wouldn't come out if I should
+unlock the door?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know," Alex. replied. "I've got a good deal of work to do
+in here yet, and I might bring back an axe to help out."
+
+"You'll find that the berth is of steel," the red-headed man said.
+"You can't chop that up. How long will it take you to finish the
+dresser? I might come back and let you out as soon as you have got
+through with that!"
+
+"All right!" grinned the boy, "anything to oblige," and he went at the
+dresser with the leg of a chair!
+
+The giant unlocked the door, stepped inside, and, taking Alex. by the
+ear, marched him out of the wrecked room. Once in the cabin he let go
+of the ear and walked toward the stern with a hand on the boy's arm.
+
+"You wasn't so giddy the last time I saw you!" declared the boy.
+
+The man laughed, opened the door of a large stateroom toward the
+stern, pushed the boy inside, and stepped in after him. This was a
+handsome room, elaborately furnished. Alex. dropped into a chair and
+looked about.
+
+The steamer now seemed to be making fast time down the river, and
+Alex. looked out of a window in the hope of seeing the location of the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"Say," he finally asked, wrinkling his freckled nose at the man, "what
+is the answer to this? I give it up!"
+
+"What was it you boys put in the deposit box at the bank?" asked the
+man.
+
+"I didn't put anything in; I didn't go to any bank."
+
+"But your chum did. You met him at the bank entrance, and brought him
+back to look at me! You know what he put in the vault box. What was
+it?"
+
+"It was a long package marked bonds," was the boy's reply.
+
+"But did the package contain bonds?"
+
+"I don't know; I never saw the inside of it," answered Alex.,
+wondering if this man had followed all their movements since being
+allowed to leave the _Rambler_.
+
+"Perhaps the lad you call Clay will tell," smiled the giant. "Or the
+boys on the _Rambler_ may give the information I seek--when you both
+fail to return to-night."
+
+"So you've got Clay, too, have you?" shouted Alex., and he make a rush
+for the door!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE LEATHER BAG MISSING
+
+
+When Clay went to the cashier's desk to pay the check for the meals
+the two boys had eaten, also with a view of finding out what was known
+there of the red-headed man, he asked the first question which came
+into his mind.
+
+"Is that the sheriff--the tall man with the red hair?"
+
+The cashier eyed the boy keenly for a moment and then answered the
+question by asking one, as many who wait on the public have a habit of
+doing.
+
+"Why? Do you want to see the sheriff?" he asked, suspiciously.
+
+Clay was provoked, but tried not to show it as he replied,
+
+"I thought I knew the man, that's all. Perhaps I was mistaken, for he
+would have recognized me, I'm certain, if he had ever seen me before."
+
+"Well, that's not the sheriff," the cashier replied, more civilly; "I
+don't know who he is. He came in here this forenoon, for the first
+time, with those two men, and he has been in here twice since. There
+are others with him, too, for people kept coming in and making reports
+of some kind to him. One made a sign to him, through the glass, while
+you were eating. He may be a crook, for all I know."
+
+Clay thanked the cashier and went away, turning in the direction of
+the river front immediately. At the next corner he came face to face
+with the cashier of the bank where he had secured the deposit box. The
+banker extended a hand in greeting.
+
+"I was just wishing," he said, "that I could run across you this
+afternoon. I have a little spare time, and I'd like to look over that
+wonderful boat of yours. Not long ago I saw a full-page description of
+your river trips in a Chicago newspaper."
+
+"Come along, then," Clay replied. "You'll have a good chance to see it
+by daylight if you go now. It isn't very much of a boat, but we're
+proud of it. It is just an ordinary motor boat, with electrical
+attachments which provide for lighting and cooking. There's also a
+little refrigerator, cooled by water, and a container for holding
+electricity in storage, so we have plenty of light when the boat is
+not running. But come along and take a look at it."
+
+As the two walked arm-in-arm down the street two men fell in behind
+them, moving as they moved, fast or slow, and stopping whenever the
+cashier drew up to explain some city feature to the boy. After a
+couple of blocks of this work, the two walked faster and, coming in
+advance of the two they had followed, turned about and greeted the
+cashier warmly. They were promptly introduced to Clay as Hilton and
+Carney.
+
+"We're just going to the river to look over the _Rambler_, the famous
+motor boat we have talked so much about," Benson, the cashier said.
+"If Mr. Emmett, here, has no objections, I'd like to have you go along
+with us."
+
+"No objections whatever," Clay responded. "There isn't much to see,
+but such as it is you are welcome to have a look."
+
+Clay did not observe the significant look which passed from the
+cashier to the two men, as they walked along toward the boat. They
+soon reached the pier and went aboard the _Rambler_, finding Case,
+Chet, Jule and Mose there. The bear cub attracted a great deal of
+attention, and Chet seemed to take special interest in the doings of
+the party.
+
+The three men did not hurry themselves at all, but took their time
+about everything. They inspected the bunks and the cupboard, and even
+looked into the storage places under the decks and the cabin floor.
+
+Clay was with them most of the time, but now and then they halted and
+conversed together in low tones, so, of course, the boy dropped away
+from the group. He considered this a strange proceeding on the part of
+the guests, but said nothing.
+
+Finally they asked Clay all sorts of questions about their progress
+down the river, when they left Rock Island, when they touched at St.
+Louis, and when they reached Cairo. The boy, though wondering,
+answered the rather personal questions frankly.
+
+It was almost dark when the visitors left the boat. Their last visit
+had been made to the cabin, to inspect the electric stove, and they
+passed the boys on the prow as they went ashore. For a time after
+their departure the boys discussed the unusual conduct of the
+visitors, and then Chet and Clay went in to prepare supper.
+
+Taking advantage of a momentary absence of Chet from the cabin, Clay
+looked in the hiding-place where he had left the leather bag in which
+the diamonds had been brought on shore. The bag was gone! Clay
+hastened out on deck to meet two astonished boys.
+
+"Say," Case said, "what's come over Chet? He came out of the cabin
+like a shot and jumped off on the pier. Then, without even stopping to
+look back, he ran down into the city! What have you been doing to
+him?"
+
+Clay stood for a moment like one incapable of speech, then he dropped
+into a deck-chair and laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks.
+Captain Joe and Teddy joined the others in their criticism of his
+strange actions.
+
+"You didn't get too many high balls while in the city, did you?" asked
+Case.
+
+"You might have kept sober enough to bring Alex. back with you!" Jule
+put in.
+
+"Ah believe yo' done scare dat lad off de boat!" little Mose
+suggested.
+
+"Well," Clay explained, presently, "I suppose I ought to treat the
+matter more seriously, for we may have lost Chet for good, but it is
+funny for all that."
+
+"Why don't you pass it around?" demanded Case. "Let us in on the
+laugh!"
+
+"You all know what I did with the articles we found on Chet," Clay
+responded. "Well, when I took the valuables out of the leather bag, I
+put burrs from the repair kit and pieces of broken dishes into the bag
+and hid it where I thought Chet might find it if he looked long
+enough."
+
+"I don't see anything funny in that," observed Case, with a frown.
+
+"Just wait! When I looked for the bag, just now, it was gone, and the
+next thing I hear is that Chet has taken to his heels. You see what
+has happened!"
+
+"The poor little chap!" exclaimed Case. "I'm sorry for him."
+
+"So am I," Clay agreed, "but he ought to have been honest with us."
+
+"We knew what to expect," Jule suggested. "He said he'd get the gems
+back if he could, didn't he? Now he thinks he's got them, and is
+lugging off a lot of truck not worth a cent! I call that a shame!"
+
+Clay looked thoughtful for a second and then burst out:
+
+"But is he? Look here, fellows," he went on, excitedly, "suppose he
+never took the bag at all! Suppose Chet found it and changed his mind
+about running off with it! Suppose one of the visitors took it!
+Suppose that is what they were here for; suppose Chet missed it as
+soon as they went away and chased on after them!"
+
+"You said the visitors were bankers!" exploded Jule. "What about
+that?"
+
+"One of them was, but I don't know anything about the others. Strange
+they should all be so eager to inspect the _Rambler_! Strange they
+should get off by themselves and talk in whispers! I reckon we're
+knee-deep in mystery!"
+
+"Well, where did you leave Alex.?" asked Jule. "He hasn't come back
+yet!"
+
+"And here's another funny thing," Clay went on, without answering the
+question, directly. "We saw Red, the Robber, up town, dressed like a
+gentleman! Alex. followed him out of the place where we saw him, and
+may have got into trouble!"
+
+"Then the stealing of the bag is Red's work!" decided Case. "No need
+to guess about that any more! How he got his men in with the banker I
+don't know, but he did it, and one of them took it, and poor Chet saw
+that it was gone, and now he is following a bag filled with crockery
+about the city!"
+
+"Pshaw!" Jule exclaimed. "It is dollars to doughnuts that Chet got the
+bag himself! He said he'd swipe it if he got a chance. You all know
+that!"
+
+A figure now came dashing down the pier at break-neck speed and Alex.
+leaped on the deck and dropped into a chair, wiping the sweat from his
+face.
+
+"Did you find who he was?" asked Clay, as the boys all gathered around
+Alex.
+
+Alex. told the story of the steamer and the wrecked stateroom, and
+ended with the talk he had had with Red, while the boys looked on in
+wonder at the odd twist things were getting into. Even Teddy Bear
+seemed impressed by the mystery, Jule declared!
+
+"And how did you get away from him?" demanded Case. "How did you get
+back here?"
+
+"I jumped and ran, and he caught me," was the reply. "Then he made me
+promise not to say a word about his escapade on the _Rambler_ and let
+me go! Can you beat it?"
+
+"What did he have you locked up for?" asked Clay. "I don't understand
+that."
+
+"Just because he wanted that promise," Alex. suggested. "Is that the
+answer?"
+
+"It may be," Clay admitted, "but here's the question: Is he a robber
+or a detective? Is he on the level, or is he just a clever scoundrel?"
+
+"Perhaps Alex. can judge better of that when he knows what has taken
+place here," Case suggested, going on with the story of the
+disappearance of the leather bag.
+
+"Red's gang got it," laughed Alex., without a moment's hesitation, as
+Case finished the story. "He knew Clay put something in the bank, and
+asked me what it was. Yes, we know all about it now!"
+
+"I just believe Chet took the bag, thinking the gems were in it,"
+insisted Jule.
+
+"We'll never know the truth until we find the lad," Clay said, with a
+sigh.
+
+"Unless Red, the Robber, shows up again in a confidential mood," Alex.
+laughed.
+
+"If the supplies I ordered are all in," Clay went on, "I think we'd
+better be on our way. There's mystery in the very air here!"
+
+"If we stay here long," Alex. prophesied, "the coon I biffed on the
+shin may show up, lookin' for revenge, or Red may come after pay for
+the furniture I smashed!"
+
+"What did he say about that furniture?" grinned Jule. "You've got the
+nerve!"
+
+"He never mentioned it," was the reply. "Say," the lad went on, "I
+believe that chap is all to the good, after all! He seemed to think
+the smash act was funny."
+
+During the afternoon Case and Mose had caught a large fish and Chet
+had succeeded in bringing down a wild duck, so the cooking of supper
+was an elaborate affair. Then Clay made light biscuits and coffee, and
+fried potatoes, and the boys were as happy as well-fed boys with no
+one to "boss," usually are, except that they missed Chet.
+
+After supper they discussed the proposition of waiting there a day in
+the hope of finding the runaway boy, but it was finally decided that
+he could find them easier than they could find him, so they started
+the motors and went on toward the Gulf.
+
+The early part of the night was bright, so the boys ran down about
+twenty miles, as the river ran, and then tied up below a "tow-head"
+which stuck up out of the water below an island of good size. They
+found it necessary to take this precaution always, for the wash of
+large steamers passing up and down would have rattled things in the
+_Rambler_, if the motor boat was not capsized.
+
+At midnight the sky became overcast with threatening clouds and the
+wind blew in fitful gusts. There seemed to be no danger of their being
+disturbed by visitors that night, but all the same they thought best
+to station a watchman, and Case volunteered to keep awake and see that
+"no one flew away with the boat," as he expressed it.
+
+Somewhere about two o'clock in the morning, the boy, who was having
+hard work keeping awake, heard the puff and bellow of an approaching
+steamer, toiling up against the strong current. Almost at the same
+instant he felt a jar, as if the boat had been struck by floating
+driftwood. He switched on the prow light to see what was doing, but
+quickly extinguished it as the steamer came up and a heavy rowboat
+dropped away from her!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+WHAT DROPPED ON DECK
+
+
+"I guess my turning on that light started something!" the boy mused,
+as he darkened the small electric globe in the cabin and sat down to
+await developments. He kept just inside the cabin door at first, for
+the wind was cold and searching.
+
+For a few moments he could hear the working of oars and the push of
+the current on an advancing boat, and then all was silent save the
+sighing of the wind and the wash of the river, still burdened at times
+with floating wreckage. It seemed to him that the boat which had
+slipped away from the steamer had anchored somewhere near the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"I fully believe," Case grunted, as he finally left the cabin and
+looked out upon the dim river from the deck, "that if we should fly
+through the air on a cloud there would be some scamp watching us from
+another cloud! It's rotten, the way we are chased about!"
+
+The boy did not know that his complaint had found words until he heard
+a chuckle close to his side and turned about to faintly distinguish
+the freckled face of Alex., who stood looking over the river to the
+south.
+
+"You've got no kick coming!" Alex. declared. "You wouldn't go on these
+river trips if we found nothing more than scenery, any more than I
+would! It seems like living to be chased about, as you call it! If it
+wasn't for the mystery and adventure in the jaunts I'd be at home in
+little old Chicago--and that's where you'd be, too!"
+
+"Well," Case returned, "I'd like to get one night off occasionally!"
+
+"What is it now?" asked Alex. "I heard the steamer pass, but that
+didn't mean anything to me. What's going wrong now? Tell your old
+uncle Alex. all about it!"
+
+"Uncle nothing!" laughed Case, restored to better humor by the
+optimism of the other. "If you want to know what's on the string, go
+and get a glass and try to find a rowboat in this mess of river and
+black sky. A safety razor that won't cut air will be given to the
+first one that discovers the boat!"
+
+"Oh!" cried Alex. "There's a boat watching us! All right! Now I feel
+better! I was beginning to wonder when we'd have something to stir us
+up!"
+
+"The boat dropped off when the steamer went up," Case explained. "I
+saw it under the lights, but of course it vanished in the darkness as
+soon as the big boat passed."
+
+"There's something going on, then!" Alex. declared. "Of course they
+wouldn't know on board the steamer in the dark, that we were here, and
+so the thing which is going to happen is set to come off on shore. I'm
+going to stay awake and see what it is."
+
+"You see," Case stated, hesitatingly, "I heard a bump on the hull of
+the _Rambler_, just as the steamer was churning into sight, around
+that bend, and turned on the prow light to see about it! That's why
+the rowboat dropped off here, I take it."
+
+Alex. gave vent to a long, low whistle.
+
+"Then we've got into the spot-light again!" he said. "It won't be any
+trouble for me to keep awake now! Shall we tell Clay the glad news, or
+let him sleep?"
+
+"Oh, let him sleep! We can run this watch, all right!"
+
+While the boys whispered and listened, the long, bellowing roar of a
+locomotive whistle came to their ears from the east. Then came the
+distant rumble of a train.
+
+"What do you make of that?" asked Case. "I thought we were in the
+heart of a wild river country, and here come a train of cars--palace
+cars, I'll go you, at that!"
+
+"About three or four miles from the river, in the state of
+Mississippi," laughed Alex., "runs the old Yazoo & Mississippi
+railroad. There are little towns all along its line. Perhaps the boat
+dropped off the steamer to make one of the country bergs! We never
+thought of that, did we?"
+
+Case pulled the other by the arm and both drew away from the gunwale.
+
+"There's a boat out there now," he declared, in a whisper. "I heard
+the tunk of an oar then! I'll bet they are trying to get on board!"
+
+"Got your gun?" asked Alex.
+
+"Sure thing I have," was the reply.
+
+"And your searchlight?"
+
+"You know it!"
+
+"So have I," Alex. went on. "Now, if they try to board the _Rambler_,
+we'll lie low until they begin to climb over the rail. Then we'll turn
+on our electrics. If they are strangers, and look like river pirates,
+we'll shoot them up! What?"
+
+"But why not turn on the prow light?" asked Case.
+
+"Because we can handle the electric flashlights quicker. If we have to
+show the light and shoot, be quick to change your position after the
+light is switched off. Then, if they shoot back, they won't hit you."
+
+There was a boat approaching. There was no doubt about that. And the
+people on board of her were doing their best to keep their movements
+from being known by those of the _Rambler_. Case and Alex. could hear
+the dash of oars, and now and then a rough command. The two boys sat
+in silence and waited.
+
+Then, as Case and Alex. afterward complained, something happened which
+"spoilt all the fun!" Captain Joe came out of the cabin and gave forth
+a series of threatening growls, and Teddy added to the warning by
+saying things in bear talk!
+
+The mysterious boat came on no longer. There were still sounds of the
+working of a heavy craft in a strong current, but these gradually died
+out.
+
+"I'd like to throw you both into the river after them!" Alex. scolded
+at the animals, as they came around him, asking to be congratulated on
+their success in driving off the visitors! "Now we'll be haunted by
+those fellows for a week, while if you had kept quiet we'd have
+settled with them right here!"
+
+"Suppose we turn on the power and chase 'em up?" asked Case.
+
+"And give them a chance to do all the shooting!" replied Alex.
+scornfully. "I'm not looking for a watery grave in the Mississippi."
+
+"Well," Case continued, "if you don't want to follow them up, just to
+see what they look like, perhaps we'd better drop down a short
+distance. If we can't fight them, we don't want to feel that they're
+right under our noses, waiting for a chance to get us into a hole! I'd
+rather face a hundred men in the open than know that one was skulking
+about me in the darkness!"
+
+"This is a fierce old stream for strangers to travel on in the dark!"
+Alex. said.
+
+"I know it, but----"
+
+Before the boy could finish the sentence a faint jar came, as if some
+person had caught hold of the anchor chain and given it a pull, or
+hung his weight on it.
+
+"There's our friend!" Case whispered. "Now, get ready with your gun!"
+
+In a second, while the boys listened, they heard a hard substance fall
+on the deck. Alex.'s light flashed around the gunwale, but there was
+no one in sight.
+
+In the middle of the deck, however, still dripping from the river, lay
+the leather bag which had held the diamonds, and which had held only
+burrs and broken crockery when last seen on board the _Rambler_! Alex.
+picked it up, found that it was still half full of some hard
+substances, and shut off the light.
+
+"You saw it?" he asked of Case, as he cuddled down by the boy's side.
+
+"Of course! The leather bag!"
+
+"What do you think of it?" demanded Alex.
+
+"I don't think!" admitted Case. "I've lost the power of thought!"
+
+"But what did they throw it back here for?" insisted Alex.
+
+"Why did who throw it back here?" chuckled Case.
+
+"Now, look here, Smarty," Alex. continued. "There are only four
+persons who could have taken that bag from the boat, the cashier and
+his two friends, and Chet."
+
+"Unless the dog ate it, or Teddy threw it overboard."
+
+"Oh, quit your foolishness! Now, which one of the four is out there in
+the river? Whoever it is has a sense of humor, for the tossing of the
+bag back shows that the situation is appreciated."
+
+"You notice the steamer came UP the river?" asked Case.
+
+"Yes; what of it?" demanded Alex. "I don't see anything in that."
+
+"Well, that shows that whoever threw the bag on deck came from down
+stream! It shows, too, that we have been watched every minute, for
+reasons which we don't know anything about!"
+
+"Yes, in order to keep track of us they might have taken the railroad
+down the river bank and then taken a steamer up, so as to meet us on
+the way down! I see something in it now. But who is it?"
+
+"It may be Chet!" suggested Case. "He may have returned the bag just
+to show us that he knows about the removal of the diamonds."
+
+"I just believe Chet is out there somewhere, and that he would come on
+board if he knew we wouldn't raise a row about the way he left us!"
+declared Alex.
+
+"I give it all up!" Case returned. "It's your watch now, and I'm going
+to bed! If there's anything good to eat thrown on deck out of the
+darkness, just wake me up, otherwise let me alone. I'll hunt up my
+dream book to-morrow and find what it says about leather bags dropping
+out of the sky!"
+
+Alex. sat alone in the dim night, watching the river and the dark
+bottom lands of the island for a long time before anything attracted
+his attention. Then a light, like that made by a camp-fire, sprang up
+on the Mississippi side of the river.
+
+He could see figures moving about in front of the blaze, but of course
+could not distinguish faces. Presently the low, weird chant of a
+plantation song came over the waters. It was evident that a gang of
+negroes, possibly railroad repair men, was passing the night in camp
+on the shore.
+
+As Alex. listened to the plaintive songs he heard a splash in the
+water at the side of the boat, and shot his light in that direction. A
+stick was floating away, and the boy concluded that it was that which
+had made the noise he had heard.
+
+He heard the negroes come to the bank of the river to gather driftwood
+for the fire, and heard their drawling voices saying something of the
+river going down fast, but could not catch the full import of their
+words.
+
+The companionship of the fire and the voices was something to the boy,
+and he sat until daylight began to show in perfect contentment. Then
+he went into the cabin to get a line, it being his idea to surprise
+the boys with a fish breakfast.
+
+He looked at the sleeping faces for a moment and started when he came
+to a rug in the corner where Mose usually slept! Captain Joe was
+there, his nose in his paws, but Mose was not there! Alex. searched
+the boat. The negro boy was gone! The amazed boy half pulled Clay out
+of his bunk and began the story of the night.
+
+"We're not yet out of the enchanted land," he said. "We are still
+seeing things! The leather bag comes back out of the sky, and Mose
+goes up in the air. I'm for getting down to the Gulf right soon."
+
+"Have you looked in the bag for any solution of the puzzle?" asked
+Clay. "There may be a note of some kind there: a note of explanation.
+See?"
+
+"Yes," declared Alex., pointing over the side, and not answering the
+question about the bag, "I see that we are stuck in the mud, and not
+likely to get out until another flood, a year, or perhaps two years,
+off."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+GETTING OUT OF THE MUD
+
+
+Clay's face plainly expressed the dismay he felt as he bent over the
+gunwale and looked downward in the growing light of the morning. The
+_Rambler_ lay in a bed of soft, oozy mud, with harder ground between
+her and the "tow-head."
+
+"I presume," Alex. said, "that the people of this country will be glad
+to see that the river lowered in the night! So are we?"
+
+"We ought to have provided against this," Clay exclaimed, in
+self-reproach. "We might just as well have anchored a few yards
+farther down. What next, I wonder?"
+
+"The longer we wait before getting the motor boat into the water,"
+Alex. said, "the harder work it will be, for the river is lowering
+every minute."
+
+Clay scratched his head and estimated the distance to deep water.
+
+"We'll have to put on our bathing suits and take to the mud," he
+decided. "By all taking hold, we may be able to get her out of this
+mess. Nice job it is, too!"
+
+"Sure!" Alex. grinned. "Mud baths are healthful! There's Mike Cogan,
+the Chicago politician, he goes to take mud baths twice a year! If we
+had him here now we wouldn't charge him a cent for his cure! I think
+he'd like it, too."
+
+"I'll wake Case and Jule, and we'll get right at it," Clay said. "I
+wish a lot of husky plantation hands would happen along in a shanty
+boat."
+
+"There was a group of them over on the Mississippi side last night,"
+Alex. explained. "We might get them, if they are there yet. Say," he
+continued, with a grin, "I believe that is where the little coon went!
+He saw the camp-fire and heard the plantation songs, and couldn't
+remain away from his own people!"
+
+"In that case," Clay suggested, "the little rascal will be back soon."
+
+"Never can tell about boys of the Mose stripe," Alex. predicted. "He
+may follow the men off and never show up here again."
+
+Clay started for the cabin to arouse Case and Jule and then turned
+back to ask:
+
+"Did that pocket book--the bag, rather, that had the diamonds in, make
+its appearance before or after Mose disappeared?"
+
+"I don't know when Mose lit out," was the reply. "At one time I heard
+a splash in the river and looked to see what it was about, but Mose
+was not in sight then. There was only a large stick floating in the
+stream. Still, he might have gone at that time. If he did, he left
+long after the bag was thrown on deck. What about it?"
+
+"I was thinking that he might have followed off the person who threw
+the bag," Clay explained, "though I can't understand why he should
+have gone away so secretly. Did the dog make any remarks about the
+time the bag reached the deck?"
+
+"Nix on Captain Joe! He's getting too sleepy! He stirred only once in
+the night, and that was when the boat was coming up to us. He
+frightened the pirates away, when Case and I had planned to shoot 'em
+up!"
+
+"Then," concluded Clay, "when we reach the truth of it, we'll discover
+that it was Chet who was around here last night, and who threw the bag
+on deck. You know we have been thinking, all along, that he might have
+taken it."
+
+"That's what Jule insists on," Alex. returned, "while the rest of us
+think one of the visitors took it, and that Chet chased off the boat
+to get it back, not knowing that the diamonds had been taken out of
+it."
+
+"It seems clear now," Clay replied, "that Chet took it. In the first
+place, there is no good reason for supposing that the visitors would
+find the bag, or take it if they did find it; or take any trouble to
+return it after they had found its contents of no value. Chet got it,
+all right, and, disappointed and chagrined at the substitution we had
+made, he lost no time in throwing it back at us."
+
+"Chet was broke, wasn't he?" asked Alex., with a sly grin.
+
+"So far as I know, yes. Anyway, he didn't look like a millionaire when
+we took him on board and fixed him out with a suit of your clothes!"
+
+"Then how would he ride up the river in a steamer, or ride down the
+river to the next town to take the steamer, or hire a rowboat and pay
+the captain of the steamer for letting him off in his boat as soon as
+he saw the light of the _Rambler_?"
+
+"You smash all my solutions," laughed Clay. "Now, give me one of your
+own, so I can smash that,"
+
+"I ain't no prophet!" grinned the red-headed boy, "but I'm gambling
+that when we get down to the bottom of matters we'll find Red, the
+Robber, in the mess!"
+
+"We have already found him in the mess," laughed Clay. "He knew,
+according to your story, that I had put something in the safety
+vaults! Besides, he seemed to own the steamer you were on, didn't he?"
+
+"He seemed to be the boss."
+
+"Suppose we quit guessing and get the _Rambler_ out of the mud,"
+suggested Clay, then.
+
+Case and Jule were called out on deck, and the lads, clad only in
+their bathing suits, were soon wallowing in the soft mud, which was so
+deep that they could get no footing at all, and so could not lift on
+the boat. In fact, the more they tried to lift the boat, to slide it
+toward deep water, the deeper she seemed to sink.
+
+"We're up against a beautiful proposition!" Jule exclaimed, climbing
+back on deck and leaning over the gunwale. "If we jar the boat any
+more, we'll have to take a trip to China and pull it through from the
+other side!"
+
+Clay plowed out of the mud and made his way to the "tow-head" where he
+began examining the growth of willows. He seemed satisfied with what
+he saw, for he began cutting the long wands and called to the others
+to join him.
+
+"What's doing?" asked Case.
+
+"This ain't no island improvement corporation!" Alex. grinned.
+
+"I know what he's up to!" Jule shouted, and in a second he was off the
+deck, cutting willows and throwing them into a heap at the edge of the
+hard ground.
+
+"We've got to make mattresses of these willows," Jule declared, wiping
+the sweat from his face. "I read about that in a paper not long ago."
+
+"To sleep on?" asked Alex., with a wink at Case.
+
+"Silly!" roared Jule. "Get busy, both of you."
+
+When a great stack of the willow wands had been cut, Clay and Jule
+began roughly braiding them together. In this way two mattresses a
+foot in thickness and nearly twelve feet square were constructed
+before noon. During all this time the boys had seen nothing of Chet,
+of Mose, or of the negroes who had camped on the shore the previous
+night. They had also overlooked breakfast!
+
+The novelty of their employment had so engaged their attention that
+they felt no need of food until Teddy appeared on the deck sitting up
+like a man, begging for his breakfast! Then Alex. threw down the wands
+he was carrying to Clay, who was doing the weaving at that time, and
+sprang over to the boat with a chuckle of amusement.
+
+"You're all right, Teddy Bear!" he cried. "We don't know enough to eat
+when we're hungry, do we? We'll show 'em what it is to feed up right
+without delay."
+
+"What you going to get for dinner?" demanded Jule, putting a hand to
+his stomach to show how empty it was. "I want a whale fried whole!"
+
+"Get your whale, then," advised Alex.
+
+"Perhaps you think I can't!" laughed Jule. "Pass out my line and rod
+and I'll show you whether I'm a fisherman or not!"
+
+Alex. did as requested and Jule waded through the mud to where there
+was a bit of hard ground, next the island, with a little swirl of
+water close by.
+
+"Watch me now!" he cried.
+
+But the boys did not care to watch him. Case and Clay continued the
+work of braiding mattresses, and Alex. got out a gun and sat on deck
+watching for ducks, of which there were plenty in that vicinity.
+Presently a yell from Jule called the attention of the others to him.
+He was fighting a fish which seemed to the astonished boys to be not
+less than ten feet in length, and the fish was pulling him down
+stream.
+
+"Give me a hand!" the boy shouted. "He's pulling me in!"
+
+"Let go the line!" cried Alex.
+
+"And lose it!" answered Jule. "Not much! Give me a hand!"
+
+Case and Clay both rushed to the boy's assistance, and with great
+effort a monster fish was landed in the mud. Jule was jubilant.
+
+"The biggest catch of the trip!" he declared. "Who says I can't
+produce a whale when I feel the need of a whole one fried?"
+
+Case and Clay leaned back and screamed with amusement. Alex. looked on
+with a grin which was more provoking than the laughter of the others.
+
+"Have all the fun you can," roared Jule, "but don't get gay!"
+
+"Throw him back into the river!" Clay advised, poking at the catch.
+"That is just a big catfish, and no one eats them save the negroes!
+They're tougher than the tripe at Bill's restaurant, in Chicago!"
+
+"I guess you won't throw him away!" yelled Jule.
+
+"All right!" Clay answered. "Take him to bed with you, if you want to,
+but kindly see if you can't get a bass for our dinner. There are
+plenty of them in here."
+
+Reluctantly Jule started the catfish back toward his natural element,
+and the big fellow seemed to thank him with a parting wave of his tail
+as he took to the water. In a few moments he had a fine large bass,
+weighing six or eight pounds, and before long Alex. had a couple of
+ducks, so work was suspended while dinner was cooked and eaten. After
+the meal the work was continued until Case declared there were enough
+willow mattresses on hand to float a city.
+
+Then the mattresses were hauled alongside the _Rambler_ and a
+considerable part of the cargo of the boat was put out on them. Thus
+lightened, and having a strong footing, the lads had no difficulty in
+pushing the _Rambler_ out into deep water.
+
+"What shall we do with the mattresses now?" asked Clay, as the boat
+swung off the bottom. "We have spent too much time on them to throw
+them away!"
+
+"Tow them along," advised Case. "It won't cost us anything to tote
+them along, and we may have use for them. A man could build a tent on
+them, by fastening them together, and live there. I'm strong for
+taking them with us."
+
+This was finally agreed to, and the boys were about to start down the
+stream again when a shout from the Mississippi side of the river
+attracted their attention.
+
+"There's that little coon!" laughed Case. "See the rascal! He's going
+to swim to the boat, or going to try to!"
+
+"He never can do it," Clay declared. "We'll have to swing the
+_Rambler_ over that way and pick him up. He's making a swift run,
+though!"
+
+"Well," Alex. replied, "just you look behind him and see what he's
+running from."
+
+Half a dozen negroes and one white man were now seen running down the
+river bank in pursuit of Mose. They seemed to redouble their exertions
+when the _Rambler_ shot over toward the boy, but were obliged to halt
+when the boy was picked up and the boat went on down stream, towing
+the willow mattresses in her wake!
+
+Mose dropped down on deck, panting and rolling his eyes.
+
+"Ah'm scared white!" he chattered. "Fo' de Lawd, dat's de man what
+trun dis coon an' Captain Joe into the ribber up no'th! Ah's scared of
+him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+SWEPT INTO A SWAMP
+
+
+"Who threw you and Captain Joe into the river, up north?" demanded
+Jule. "Wake up and tell us what's the matter with you. What were those
+people chasing you for?"
+
+Mose only sat up on deck and rolled his eyes as the _Rambler_
+increased the distance between the pursuers and himself. Seeing that
+he was now beyond their reach, he arose and leaned over the gunwale
+and made funny insulting faces at them.
+
+"What does he mean?" asked Jule, turning to Clay. "Who's chasing him?"
+
+"Don't you remember how Sam, the Robber, the fellow who, with Red,
+captured the _Rambler_ in the bayou, threw the boy and the dog out,
+and how they lay in the grounds at the old house until dusk and then
+came to your rescue?" asked Clay. "You must have a poor memory, I
+think."
+
+"I didn't know whether it was Red or Sam who threw him in," Jule
+explained.
+
+"So that's Sam over there with the negroes?" questioned Alex. "What
+did you do to them, Mose? Where did you go last night? What do you
+mean by forming an exploring expedition all by yourself and having all
+the fun?"
+
+"Ah went 'shore to hear de singin'," the boy replied, "an' dey cotch
+me stealin' de yaller leg chicken, an' say de's goin' to beat dis coon
+up plenty!"
+
+"You swam all that way to steal a chicken?" asked Jule. "Was it
+cooked?"
+
+"Yaller leg chicken!" insisted the boy.
+
+"Was it cooked?" persisted Jule. "Where did they get it?"
+
+"Dey say it done lef' de roos' an' follow dem into camp!"
+
+"Did you eat a whole one?" asked Case. "A whole yellow-legged
+chicken?"
+
+Mose grinned and showed the whites of his eyes.
+
+"Ah shore did!" he replied, and Jule declared that he would willingly
+have helped him do it if he had only known about it!
+
+"What were they talking about last night?" asked Clay, as the
+_Rambler_ turned a bend and lost sight of the negroes and Sam, still
+gesticulating fiercely, on the east shore.
+
+"They're sho' goin' to get you-all!" was the reply. "They goin' to
+steal dis boat, first thing you know. Ah'm scart ob dat white man!"
+
+The little fellow could tell very little of the talk he had heard
+while detained in the negro camp. He knew that Sam, the Robber, was
+there with the negroes, and that he was continually urging them to
+help him secure the _Rambler_, but that was all. Of their plans he
+knew nothing but this.
+
+During the afternoon the boys passed a great many steamers, going up
+the river, some with supplies for those who had been made homeless by
+the flood. Fortunately the levees had held, but the water had filled
+in back of them, in some instances and destroyed much property. The
+lagoons and swamps up river were still flooded, and in places farming
+land was still being washed away.
+
+All the way down, until night closed in, they saw gangs of negroes on
+the levees, fishing drift wood out of the water. In some instances
+small out-houses were brought out in good condition. One shanty boat
+the boys saw had the cupola of a house set up on the prow, and a farm
+bell in the top of it was ringing as the raft bobbed in the currents
+of the river. Now and then families were seen gathered on the levees,
+evidently waiting for a steamer to take them off.
+
+The boys kept up good speed until night and then tied up in a small
+cove on the lower side of an island, not far from the Mississippi
+side.
+
+"We have been going pretty fast," Clay observed, as the boat was
+worked in behind a point so as to be out of the wash of the steamers.
+"We haven't a thing to do until we get back to Chicago, and we can
+take all the time we want getting back. How is that for a peaceful
+life, Mose?" he added, turning to the little negro boy.
+
+Mose showed a mouthful of white teeth and a pair of chalk-white
+eyeballs.
+
+"It takes a corkscrew to get conversation out of Mose!" Jule observed.
+
+"I think I can make him talk," laughed Alex. "Mose," he went on, "I'll
+give you a plate of honey for supper if you'll tell me where Chet is
+and who threw the leather bag on deck last night?"
+
+"Some one fro' what?" asked the little fellow.
+
+"Some one threw this on the boat in the night," Alex. answered,
+handing the bag to the boy. "Did you hear any one around before you
+left?"
+
+The negro boy rolled his eyes for a minute then took the bag and held
+it under the nose of Captain Joe, who sniffed at it for a second and
+then walked back to the place in the cabin where Chet had slept.
+
+"De dawg sho' know who fro' dat bag!" he said, patting Captain Joe on
+the head.
+
+"That shows why the dog didn't make a row when the person who threw it
+got close enough to the boat to heave it on deck!" Jule laughed.
+
+"It takes a little coon to find out things about animals!" grinned
+Alex. "Here we've been studying over who tossed the bag, and Mose
+settles the question in a minute. That is sure some coon!"
+
+"There's an affinity between a boy and a dog, anyway!" Clay laughed.
+
+"I wonder if the kid is right?" Case questioned.
+
+The boys discussed the matter during supper, and, right or wrong, Mose
+was given his plate of honey, which he was obliged to divide with
+Teddy!
+
+The night passed away without incident, and early morning found the
+_Rambler_ on her way to the Gulf again. The day was not different from
+other days for a week. The boys passed plantations and villages,
+swamps and lagoons, which seemed to have escaped the force of the
+flood, but now and then came to a wrecked cabin toppling from a bank.
+
+They secured a supply of gasoline at a small place near the Arkansas
+line and at night found themselves in the heart of a desolate country.
+When they tied up they were at the mouth of a lagoon which seemed to
+lead into a great swamp.
+
+"It is a sure thing that no leather bags will be thrown on deck
+to-night," Clay observed, as supper was prepared. "We are even off the
+track of the steamers, for they seem to stick to the opposite side of
+the stream."
+
+"This would be a dandy spot for a band of river pirates to inhabit,"
+Jule added.
+
+"Don't talk about pirates!" admonished Clay. "You'll have Mose turning
+white again. Some day he'll turn so white with fright that he will
+never turn black again, and he wouldn't like that, would you, Mose?"
+
+"Ah's 'tented wif mah color," answered the boy.
+
+"That's all right, as long as you are on the boat," Alex. put in, "but
+you jump into the lagoon and see how long you'll last. An alligator
+will leave a fat pig any time to make a dinner off a black boy!"
+
+"Quit scaring the boy!" exclaimed Case. "First thing you know, he will
+be afraid to swim ashore to steal a yellow-legged chicken roasted by
+tramps!"
+
+When darkness fell a soft wind came out of the west and a slow rain
+began falling. It was wild and uncanny outside, but bright and warm in
+the cabin. Alex. entertained his chums for a time with stories of the
+Mississippi, and explained how Grant had shortened the stream by
+cutting a new channel at Vicksburg, but all were tired, and by nine
+o'clock all were asleep save Jule, who was to stand guard that night,
+and Mose who was moving restlessly about.
+
+"Come on into the cabin, Mose," Jule finally ordered, "and go to bed,
+like a good coon! You'll get wet out on deck!"
+
+The boy entered the cabin and sat down near the stove, in which a
+small fire was burning. Jule regarded him attentively.
+
+"What's the matter with you to-night?" he finally asked.
+
+"Ah hear a roar!" was the reply.
+
+"That's the wind in the cypress trees," Jule explained.
+
+"Is it de win' makes de ribber come up?" asked Mose, in a moment.
+
+"Is the river rising?" asked Jule, going to the door and switching on
+the prow light. "It ought to be running down."
+
+By the light of the electric the boy saw that the river was indeed
+rising. Little knolls which were above water when the boat had been
+anchored were now under a swift current. The river was sweeping past
+the mouth of the lagoon with a new force.
+
+Presently trees and wreckage of different sorts were seen drifting
+down, and there came a rushing sound which added greatly to the
+weirdness of the scene.
+
+"This beats me!" Jule muttered. "The flood has been going down for
+nearly a week. There must have been heavy rains up to the north, and
+at the sources of the rivers emptying into the Mississippi. I wonder
+if it will do anything to us?"
+
+At that moment a timber crashed against the _Rambler_, jarring it
+considerably.
+
+Clay and the others were out of their bunks in a minute, and out on
+deck to see what had taken place. Alex. was the first one to grasp the
+situation.
+
+"We'll have to turn on the motors to hold this boat," he said. "The
+anchor lies in the mud, and will pull away at the first push of a
+current. First thing we know, we'll be down there in a cypress swamp!"
+
+"You're excited!" Case called out. "We passed the flood two days ago."
+
+"That's the trouble," Alex. explained. "We passed the flood! The crest
+of it is still to the north of us. It has undoubtedly been raining up
+river, and that has swelled the volume of water."
+
+"Do you mean that we got down the river in advance of the flood?"
+demanded Case.
+
+"We have been going a little faster than the current, haven't we,
+notwithstanding our tying up nights?" Alex. asked. "This little boat
+has been going some! To-night the crest of the flood overtakes us.
+See?"
+
+"It doesn't look reasonable!" Case insisted. "I don't believe it!"
+
+"The kid is right," Clay declared. "I have often read about boats
+meeting the flood the second time, once when they passed it, and once
+when it caught up with them."
+
+The roaring sound which Mose had referred to now grew louder, sounding
+like the rush of a long and heavily loaded freight train.
+
+While the lads listened, hardly knowing what to do to protect
+themselves, Mose pointed a shaking hand at a spot far down the lagoon.
+Clay looked and saw a great blaze on what seemed a wooded knoll to the
+west of the river.
+
+"There's a camp down there!" he said.
+
+"That makes it nice!" grinned Alex. "No honest men ever made camp in
+that hole at this season of the year! It is dollars to tripe that if
+we don't put on power the crest of the flood will wash us down, when
+the full strength comes, and beach us among a band of river pirates!
+If we don't get under way up stream we'll have do to something to make
+the anchor hold!"
+
+While the boys were discussing some way of accomplishing this, for
+they did not like the idea of breasting the flood, the crest of the
+flood came seething down the stream, a wall of water four feet high!
+It swept over the point of land between the river and the bayou and
+dashed against the _Rambler_.
+
+The anchor held for a minute, then the boys knew that they were in
+motion. The current seemed stronger there than in the river itself.
+
+"The water is cutting a new channel below," Clay shouted, as the
+_Rambler_ was swept away, "and we are headed for that swamp. Now, we
+are in a peck of trouble!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+PILGRIMS FROM OLD CHICAGO
+
+
+The "peck of trouble" referred to as their portion by Clay turned out
+to be a full bushel, and good measure at that, in a very short time.
+Although the boys turned on the power--a thing they should have done
+long before--as soon as the crest of water came in sight, the
+_Rambler_ was pitched down toward the swamp like a chip.
+
+If the boys had been able to direct her course, they might have held
+her in the current, and so kept out of the muck hole into which she
+was swept when the water cut around a bend, driving straight on the
+shore. But just as the craft was getting under control a mass of limbs
+and cane-brake tangled her propellers, and she went down with the
+flood, striking, as has been said, in a swamp where the head of the
+bayou had been, and into which the water still poured.
+
+It was pitch dark out on the river and in the swamp, but the lights of
+the _Rambler_ cast a circle of illumination about the spot where she
+lay, so that the black, bubbling water, with all the unclean reptiles
+it was forcing forth from their haunts, was in full view. It was
+carrying wreckage now, and this was piling up between the current and
+the boat, shutting off all chances of backing out, even if the current
+would have permitted it. It was indeed a desperate situation.
+
+The motor boat had come to a stop against two monster cypress trees,
+between which she had wedged her nose. Only for this she might have
+been carried farther into the swamp, the water being deep for some
+distance ahead.
+
+During the whirling passage down the bayou, while the boat was bumping
+against tree trunks and bounding off with a jar and a swish to go
+swinging around again, like a foolish dancer doing the time limit,
+Mose had clung tightly to one of Clay's legs. At the very beginning of
+that mad race he had caught sight of a couple of alligators, and was
+in deadly fear that they would climb on board and make a meal of him!
+
+When the boat finally lodged between the giant trees, the little negro
+boy bounded from the deck and, seizing hold of a mass of vines,
+clambered up the tree to the west like a young monkey! Believing that
+he would have to help the others up, he carried a rope with him!
+Finally, sitting astride of a limb, he called down what he considered
+very good advice to the boys on the boat.
+
+"Dey done get yo', sho'!" he warned. "Catch on de rope an' shin up!"
+
+Serious as the situation was, with the water trinkling in over the
+stern of the motor boat, the boys grinned at each other at the fright
+of the boy.
+
+"Come on down!" Alex. called. "If the boat should break away from the
+trees, you would be left alone in the swamp. Come on down and help get
+the boat out of this blessed swamp! You may get out with your rope and
+tow her if you want to!" he added, with a chuckle.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd!" cried Mose, shuddering at the idea of getting into
+water inhabited by monsters who would leave a fat pig to feast off a
+black boy!
+
+At least that was what one of the boys had said to him!
+
+Attracted by the strange lights, walking and creeping things now began
+gathering in the shadows at the rim of the circle of light. Once Clay
+caught sight of the soft, appealing eyes of a deer, and now and then
+the howls of a swamp cat came to their ears above the roaring of the
+flood. Great water snakes struck their heads above the surface and
+looked, red-eyed, and hostile, at the boys.
+
+Swamp creatures with soft fur and frightened eyes crouched on fallen
+trees and scanned the deck as a possible refuge. To make the scene
+more desolate still, if possible, two round-eyed owls answered each
+other's cries from a near-by cypress.
+
+"Say," Jule whispered to Clay, during a little lull in the rain,
+"there's a man by that tree. I've been watching him a long time. Look
+at him!"
+
+Clay followed the line of the pointing finger and laughed.
+
+"Why, that's a bear!" he shouted. "A swamp bear--one of the kind Teddy
+Roosevelt came down here to shoot when he was president! Let him alone
+and he'll let us alone. They fight like devils when wounded or
+molested."
+
+The boys all agreed to let the bear alone, but Captain Joe and Teddy
+seemed to have notions of hospitality. The dog barked invitingly, and
+Teddy did a stunt of bear talk which brought the wanderer one tree
+nearer to the boat. He was now in the circle of light, and could get
+no nearer without swimming.
+
+"He sees Teddy and wants to ask his advice!" Jule laughed.
+
+At that moment Mose, noting that the boys were gazing fixedly in one
+direction, turned his eyes that way and saw the bear. The shriek he
+let out might, it seemed, have been heard in New Orleans, if the wind
+had been blowing in that direction!
+
+"Ah's a gone coon!" he wailed, after that one yell. "Ah's a goin' whar
+de good niggers go! Good bear! Good bear!" he added coaxingly.
+
+The bear looked upon the scene for a moment longer with disapproving
+eyes and then turned away. For a moment he was seen walking on jammed
+logs, alternately wading through shallow places, and then he was lost
+in the darkness.
+
+"There!" Alex. called out to Mose, "you've frightened our bear off!"
+
+"Dat yo' bear?" asked Mose. "Den yo' keep yo' animile out our ya'd!"
+
+Although frequently invited to return to the boat, Mose insisted on
+keeping his place in the tree. Now and then he called out that a bear
+or a deer was about to board the _Rambler_, but for the most part he
+sat still, looking about for more things to be frightened at!
+
+The _Rambler_ was now securely fastened in between the two trees,
+standing on a level, or floating on a level, rather. There was
+considerable water under the deck, it having worked its way down
+through the joints about the hatches, and the boys proceeded to lift
+all available covers and bail it out.
+
+"How are we ever going to get out of here?" asked Jule, working away
+with a basin and a sponge. "These trees will hold us forever."
+
+"We'll have to cut them down, Silly!" answered Case. "Just as soon as
+the water goes down, we'll crawl out on one of the mattresses and fix
+the propellers."
+
+"Mattresses!" answered Jule. "They drifted away long ago."
+
+"Look ahead and see," remarked Case, and Jule did so.
+
+The willow and brake mattresses which had been towed down stream were
+loose from the motor boat, but they were in sight, having lodged
+against the mud bank farther in the swamp. They could be reached, the
+boys figured, by a little wading after the flood subsided, which it
+was certain to do before long.
+
+"You see," Case went on, "the trees will hold the boat up, like it was
+in a dry dock, and we can fix the propellers and the leak and then
+chop down the trees and get out. Perhaps we can follow this channel
+out to the river. If there wasn't an opening somewhere, the current
+here wouldn't be so fierce!"
+
+"There may be a channel," Clay agreed, "but if there is it must be
+full of standing trees and hidden snags. If we ever get out of here,
+we'd better run back to the main channel, and keep out of such holes
+in future!"
+
+"There wouldn't be any fun in river trips," laughed Alex., swinging an
+axe at the head of a water snake which was trying to get up on the
+deck, "if it wasn't for the adventure there is in it! I wouldn't have
+missed this for anything!"
+
+With the last word of this endorsement of the situation on his lips
+Alex. took a header over the gunwale of the boat into the water! A
+great trunk had bunted the _Rambler_ on the port side, and she had
+tipped so as to knock the boy off his feet and over the railing before
+he could make up his mind what was coming off!
+
+"Wow!" cried Clay, as the boy came, spluttering to the surface.
+
+"You wouldn't miss this for anything!" roared Case.
+
+"Bring a couple of snakes and an alligator out with you!" requested
+Jule.
+
+Mose, sitting on the limb, high up in the tree, called down to the boy
+that a water snake was trying to get into his pocket, and that an
+alligator was nosing about his leg.
+
+Disregarding all comment and advice, Alex. crawled back on deck and
+sat looking wrathfully into the flood. But his anger did not last
+long.
+
+"If that log hadn't come along," he said, "I should have forgotten my
+bath. When it comes daylight, I'm going to get up a race with that
+alligator, with the snake as referee! Mose can enter if he wants to!"
+
+Mose shivered at the thought. He was now climbing higher. When near
+the top he gave another yell and hustled down to a lower limb, where
+he sat with his hands clinging tightly to the trunk.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" he shrieked.
+
+"What is it now?" asked Jule. "If you don't come down I'll shoot you!"
+
+Mose pointed to the rim of the light zone and cried that the river
+robbers had come to get the boat. The boys looked where he pointed and
+saw three young men standing in a submerged grove of cypress trees.
+All were armed and all were bearded and forbidding in appearance. As
+the boys looked one stepped forward.
+
+"Just a second," Clay called. "That is near enough!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE DARKEY UP THE TREE
+
+
+While Case talked with the young man Clay went back into the cabin to
+talk with Alex., who was now changing into dry clothing.
+
+"Do you think the story that man is telling is all right?" he asked.
+
+"I think he is telling the truth about the river thieves," Alex.
+replied.
+
+"I was wondering if that wasn't just a bait to help them get on
+board."
+
+"It may be, but there are river robbers in this section. They told us
+that where we bought the gasoline. These may be the robbers, for all I
+know, but we ought to make sure of that before turning them down.
+They'll starve here, if they have lost their boat and provisions. Of
+course they can get wild game, but I don't see how they are going to
+cook it. We ought to give them a chance, anyway."
+
+Clay went back to the deck and listened to the conversation between
+Case and the visitor, who seemed a little annoyed at the doubting of
+his word.
+
+"Where did you live in Chicago?" he heard Case ask.
+
+"In furnished rooms on Elizabeth street, near Washington boulevard,"
+was the reply.
+
+"Where did you work?" was the next question, impertinent and personal,
+but seemingly necessary at that time.
+
+"At a machine shop on Clinton street, not far from West Madison.
+
+"Then you are machinists?"
+
+"Yes, all of us. Business is dull in our line just now, and we thought
+we'd make a hit with ourselves by spending a winter in the south."
+
+"When did you leave Chicago?"
+
+"We left Chicago last September," answered the man, turning toward the
+rail. "We expect to get back sometime during the next century, if all
+Chicago boys are as hospitable as you are! Now, with your permission,
+I'll go back to my friends."
+
+"How do you know we are from Chicago?" asked Clay, stepping forward.
+
+The other laughed lightly and pointed to the boat's name on articles
+scattered about.
+
+"But, aside from that," he said, "we'd know you anywhere. The Chicago
+newspapers carried a lot of feature stuff about your boat and your
+trips."
+
+"All right, stranger," one of the three answered, in rather a pleasant
+tone of voice. "Just as you say!"
+
+"What do you want?" asked Alex., still shivering from his cold bath.
+
+"We want a ride out of this consarned swamp," was the reply.
+
+"How did you get in here?" asked Clay. "Get out the way you got in!"
+he added.
+
+"Our shanty boat is smashed to flinders and our grub is gone,"
+complained the other. "It don't look as if we could walk out of here,
+does it?"
+
+"Was that your fire we saw?" asked Case, drawing closer to the
+gunwale.
+
+"We had a fire before the flood pounced down upon us," was the reply.
+
+"What shall we do?" asked Clay, facing the others. "If they are on the
+square we can't leave them here. They would starve!"
+
+"They may be pirates!" suggested Jule.
+
+"I don't believe it," Case declared. "They don't look the part.
+Besides, if they had designs on the boat, they could have picked us
+off in the darkness, and we'd never have known where the bullets came
+from. They're all right!"
+
+"One of you come aboard," Clay instructed, "and we'll see what you
+look like."
+
+In plain view of the boys the man who had done the talking handed his
+gun to a companion and struck out for the boat, walking on logs part
+of the way, wading part of the way, and swimming when he could do
+neither. In a moment he was on deck.
+
+"The three of us," he explained, "were out of work at Chicago. We had
+a little cash, and decided to come down here and spend the winter
+where we wouldn't have room-rent or restaurant bills to pay. We
+thought we could cut and market enough fish-poles out of the brake
+swamps to pay our way back in the spring."
+
+"That wasn't a bad idea!" Jule declared.
+
+"We were getting along all right," the other went on, "until the river
+thieves began troubling us. They stole our food, and at last began
+stealing our poles. We were getting ready to go out when the flood
+smashed our shanty boat into smithereens. Now we are up against it,
+unless you take us with you. And," he added, with a quick glance
+around, "you'd better take us on board, for the thieves are back there
+in the swamp, with their envious eyes fixed on this boat. They are
+mostly negroes, and escaped convicts."
+
+"You ought to know that we've got to be careful," Clay said, as the
+man was about to leave the boat. "We don't know anything about you,
+except what you have told us, but we're going to take a chance on you.
+Tell your friends to come on board."
+
+In five minutes the three were in the cabin, trying on some of Clay's
+clothes, for their own were not only wet but they oozed black muck.
+When they were dressed again they passed their revolvers over to Clay,
+with the statement that they wouldn't need them unless the river
+pirates took a hand in the game that night.
+
+"Have the ruffians been here long?" asked Clay.
+
+"About a month ago," was the reply, "a lot of negroes broke away from
+a convict camp off to the west somewhere. They came into this swamp
+and built a camp on a knoll, which must, by the way, be under water
+now. They are murderers, housebreakers and sneak thieves of the most
+desperate kind. We tried to make friends with them, but it was of no
+use. They think their camp is unknown, and so object to our getting
+out and telling where it is. I half believe they will try to keep you
+from getting out for the same reason."
+
+"If it is all the same to you boys," another of the visitors said,
+"we'd like something to eat. We were half starved when we came on
+board. I think I can catch a fish or shoot a duck, so our supper won't
+cost you anything only the bother of having us around. What do you
+say? Do we eat?"
+
+"I should say so!" cried Alex., sticking his head out of the cabin,
+"and when you are out after game get enough for me a little lunch. I
+haven't had anything to eat since dark!"
+
+"Is that rowboat at the side all right?" asked the visitor, pointing
+to the boat which had been found up the river. "If it is, I'll get a
+little ways from the motor boat, in the shadows, and see what I can do
+getting ducks."
+
+"The boat is all right," Alex. answered, "and I'll go with you. I'm
+beginning to feel the lack of adventure. I get awfully tired of this
+monotony sometimes!"
+
+They all laughed at the idea of there being any monotony in the
+situation, there in the swamp, with the river roaring around them and
+the watchful thieves in the thicket, and Alex. seemed quite annoyed at
+the thought that they regarded his remark as a joke.
+
+"Perhaps something will happen before you get back," Clay grinned.
+
+"The boat may smash," said Jule, cheerfully. "It has been banged about
+quite a lot since we got it. Or you may find some of the robbers.
+There's no knowing what streak of good luck you may get into!"
+
+"I'm not looking for any good luck of that kind!" the visitor said, as
+he drew the rowboat around and clambered into it. "I've had all the
+cheerful incidents of that character I care to have. When I get back
+to Chicago, I'm going to get a room next to the Desplaines street
+police station and go to bed at seven o'clock every night."
+
+"What's your name?" asked Alex., abruptly as he pushed off from the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"Gregg Holder," was the reply. "I'm just Gregg to all my friends, but
+I'm Bully Gregg on South Halstead street. The others are Eddie Butler
+and Hank Quinn."
+
+"That settles it!" grinned Alex. "I'm going back."
+
+"What for?" asked Gregg, in surprise. "Don't you want a duck or a
+fish?"
+
+"Sure I do," was the reply, "but I'm afraid! You're the man that
+fought Murphy to a draw? What? And Eddie Butler is the boy that bested
+Murray!"
+
+"You've got that right, kid," was the reply. "We've all been in the
+prize ring, but we're no slum toughs. If you think the bears and
+snakes and robbers are better company than we are," he added, "we'll
+get out of your boat!"
+
+"You're just the lads to give the pirates a good drubbing!" Alex.
+laughed, "and so we'll ask you to remain with us and learn something
+of the rules of polite society! Let me take one oar, unless you want
+to keep on going round in a circle!"
+
+"There's something pulling on the boat," Gregg said. "I can't keep it
+on a straight line. See if you can find out what has tangled us."
+
+Alex. turned on his searchlight and cast its rays on the water ahead.
+Then he dropped his light in the bottom of the boat and stuck his
+hands out straight. Gregg looked up as the light fell, then dropped
+the oars and stuck his hands out straight!
+
+"This is the adventure you wanted!" Gregg said, as half a dozen
+negroes showed on a hummock only a few feet away. "We're held up by
+the river thieves!"
+
+"What do you fellows want?" Alex. demanded, looking straight into the
+muzzle of a gun that seemed to have a bore as large as the Hudson
+river tunnel.
+
+"We want that boat, so we can get on board the motor contraption,"
+said a voice.
+
+"That's no negro!" whispered Alex. "It is a white man blacked up!"
+
+"Right you are!" replied Gregg.
+
+"What are you boys talking about?" demanded the holder of the
+threatening gun.
+
+"We were telling each other how glad we were to meet you!" Alex.
+snarled.
+
+"You're a nervy kid, anyhow," said the other. "Push the boat up here,
+so we can get in. We were raised as pets, and don't want to get wet."
+
+There was nothing to do but obey instructions. They knew the desperate
+character of the men they were facing. If they followed orders and
+waited for an opportunity to turn the tables on their captors, they
+might get out of the mess with whole skins, but if they forced a fight
+there and then there would be little hope for them. When there were
+four of the pirates in the boat, crouching down under the gunwales,
+who made the fifth, the spokesman gave his orders.
+
+"Now you boys row back. When we get close up I'll show myself and put
+the whole party under cover. See? My men will also have their guns,
+and if you disobey instructions in the slightest particular, you'll be
+shot in the back."
+
+"That's where you like to shoot, I take it!" growled Gregg. "If I had
+one of you out on the bank I'd break him in two pieces and feed him to
+the snakes."
+
+"Cuss if you want to!" commented the robber. "We can settle all that
+after a time. Just now, get over to that boat, and call out that
+you've found another castaway in the swamp! We'll be on board before
+they can say a word."
+
+This looked like turning the _Rambler_ over to thieves, but there was
+no way in which the boys could reverse conditions just then, so they
+rowed toward the motor boat, calling out that they had found a sick
+man in the jungle. The robber prodded them with the muzzle of his gun
+when they did not give the right inflection to their voices.
+
+When the boat entered the circle of light the boys on board the
+_Rambler_ were all leaning over the gunwale, looking for the boys and
+the rescued individual. There were no weapons in sight, and Alex.
+feared that all the revolvers were stowed away in the cabin, and that
+the _Rambler_ would be taken without a shot being fired in her
+defense.
+
+When the boat touched the hull of the _Rambler_ the robber sprang to
+his feet, presenting two long guns as he did so.
+
+"I'll empty these guns into the crowd of you," he said, in a low, even
+voice, "if there is one move on deck. We are coming aboard, and the
+better you use us the better we shall use you. Just sit still, boys,"
+he added, addressing his men, "until I get on deck."
+
+He was lithe and strong, and was on the deck in an instant, without
+opposition, his guns threatening the amazed boys and their visitors.
+Captain Joe gave forth a volley of ugly growls, and would have
+attacked the man, but Clay ordered him back.
+
+"Never mind the dog," he said. "He won't bite!"
+
+"If he does, he'll get a chance to bite lead!" the robber exclaimed.
+"Now, men," he went on, "climb up into the boat. Leave the rowers
+where they are."
+
+Four husky negroes, all with traces of whisky in their breath, began
+climbing over Alex. and Gregg to reach the motor boat. As they were
+steadying the rocking craft, they carried no weapons in their hands.
+
+Then something happened which was as much of a surprise to the boys as
+it was to the men who were trying to capture the _Rambler_!
+
+A rope with a wide noose at one end came whirling out of the sky and
+fell over the robber's head, resting for an instant in a neat coil on
+his shoulders!
+
+He clutched his weapons closer and looked up. Then the line tightened
+about his muscular neck until his feet left the deck and his face grew
+red with the blood of strangulation, then grew white. The revolvers
+clattered to the floor, and the man's figure toppled and fell as the
+rope slacked.
+
+When this strange thing happened, Alex. and Gregg were bending their
+heads down to permit the negroes to clamber over them. Still they saw
+the rope fall, saw the man gasp as it closed about his neck, and felt
+the negroes springing back in dismay.
+
+Then they arose with their heavy oars in their hands and struck
+slashing, crunching blows at the heads below them! One negro lifted an
+arm to shoot, but it fell with the bones of the shoulder crushed to
+pulp. One by one they dropped out of the boat, some with broken arms,
+some with broken heads. After they had all disappeared, either under
+the surface of the lagoon or into the darkness of the swamp, a shrill
+voice came from the tree where Mose had taken refuge from the snakes
+and the alligators:
+
+"Go on, white folks," it said, "Ah goin' hang dis immitation coon up
+on dis tree!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+DODGING A POLICE BOAT
+
+
+"You little coon!" Clay gasped.
+
+"Hurrah for Mose!" cried Alex.
+
+"If you'll come down here I'll hug you!" shouted Gregg.
+
+"How did you ever think of it?" Case called out.
+
+Mose, now the happiest little negro boy in the United States, sat
+astride of his limb and grinned until it seemed that the top of his
+head would drop off backward!
+
+In the meantime, the river pirate had remained unnoticed on the deck,
+the rope so deftly dropped by Mose still around his neck. Case finally
+bent over him.
+
+"Why!" he exclaimed, shrinking back. "The man is dead!"
+
+"Dead!" echoed Clay. "What killed him?"
+
+Then they all bent over the still figure for a closer examination.
+Just as Case had declared, the robber was dead. His neck had been
+broken by the rope when Mose had drawn him off his feet! Alex. looked
+up at the boy.
+
+"You must have a good pull in your arms!" he cried. "How did you
+manage to swing him up? You're a wonder, Mose!"
+
+Mose only grinned in reply, but Clay explained the matter by saying
+that the boy had thrown the rope over a limb higher up and used that
+as a pulley.
+
+"Still," he added, "it took a lot of muscle to jerk that heavy man off
+his feet. I didn't think the boy had it in him."
+
+Then came the question as to what disposition should be made of the
+body. There was no hard ground near at hand so that a decent grave
+could be prepared. There were marshy knolls, it is true, but any
+excavation made there would instantly fill with water.
+
+"Well," Gregg said, "the best we can do is to bury him in the water. I
+don't mean in the lagoon or in the river, but in a grave which will
+fill with water. There he will at least be out of the reach of
+reptiles and wild animals when the water subsides."
+
+"But how are we ever going to get out there and dig a grave?" asked
+Jule, who was not inclined to waste much effort on the body of a man
+who, in life, would have robbed, perhaps murdered, them!
+
+"With your permission," Gregg said, "we'll take the body out and bury
+it. I haven't much use for men of his type, but he's dead, and that
+settles all accounts!"
+
+"We may be able to get a couple of birds for supper while we are
+away," suggested Eddie Butler. "We have been so busy lately, that we
+haven't eaten, or provided anything to eat! I'm empty clear to my
+toes!"
+
+"And I'll catch a fish off the boat!" Jule volunteered. "I saw some
+big ones jumping up not long ago! They've been driven out of their
+nests by the flood."
+
+So Gregg and his friends went away in the rowboat to bury the outlaw
+and get a couple of ducks for supper, while Jule and Alex. angled over
+the stern of the boat for a fish. The first rush of the flood was
+past, but the water was still high. There was a strong current rushing
+past the stern of the _Rambler_, and this indicated that there must be
+a channel open to the main river not far below.
+
+The boys caught a great catfish and two awkward-looking buffalo-fish
+and turned them loose in the stream before they succeeded in getting
+anything they wanted for supper. Then they caught a dozen perch of
+good size and proceeded to clean them.
+
+By the time the fish were ready for the pan Gregg and his friends were
+back from their expedition with half a dozen fat ducks, already
+dressed.
+
+"We'll have some for breakfast, and some for dinner!" Eddie declared.
+"I feel now as if I'd never get enough to fill me up again!"
+
+Something long and twisting dropped on the man's shoulders and fell
+off to the deck.
+
+"Holy smoke!" he shouted. "Look at the snake!"
+
+A shout from up the tree told of the trick Mose had played on the man,
+and the rope was coiled away. In a short time Mose came sliding down
+the trunk.
+
+"He smells supper!" explained Clay. "I've a notion to set Captain Joe
+on him!"
+
+"Dat dog don't bite dis coon!" Mose replied. "Ah'm in lub wid dat
+dog!"
+
+Captain Joe and Teddy came forward and looked the three visitors over
+approvingly.
+
+"That bear would make a good meal!" Gregg declared, with a wink at
+Case.
+
+Mose's eyes stuck out for a minute, and then he tickled his own chin
+and gave out a sound like a goat.
+
+"B-a-a-a-a-a-a! B-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!" he bleated.
+
+"What's the matter with the coon?" asked Gregg, with a look of
+surprise.
+
+"He's telling us to get wise to the alfalfa!" Jule cut in. "Alex.
+don't know how to translate so white men can understand."
+
+"You'll both wash dishes for a month!" roared Clay, doubled over with
+laughter. "We make that a penalty for talking slang," he explained,
+turning to Gregg.
+
+"But I don't understand yet," the other went on. "What is the matter
+with the boy? Has he turned himself into a billy goat?"
+
+"He's suggesting that you mow the lawn!" Case explained. "He doesn't
+like the fire-escapes!"
+
+Clay roared and pointed to the beards worn by the three, and then they
+understood and joined in the laugh until the swamp echoed back the
+sounds.
+
+"You'll all have to wash dishes, I take it!" Gregg declared.
+
+"That's about the way it usually turns out, when one starts talking
+slang," Clay explained. "We're all so full of it that it just bubbles
+out."
+
+"It is fine that we have something to be jolly over," Gregg hastened
+to say, "for the prospects of getting out of here are not alluring."
+
+"Wouldn't be no fun if everything went right!" Alex. insisted. "We
+have the most sport when we're lost, or stolen, or strayed away. Now,
+you watch me cook these ducks."
+
+The boy got out a baking pan standing on three short legs. The bottom
+was double so as to prevent burning. Then he put two fat ducks inside,
+secured the cover, and removed what seemed to Gregg to be the whole
+top of the stove.
+
+The short legs of the pan rested on the red-hot coals in the firebox,
+while the cover was always within reach. As soon as the ducks, which
+had previously been hastily parboiled, began to simmer and send forth
+appetizing odors, the boy watched them every minute, turning and
+basting until they were a beautiful golden brown.
+
+In the meantime coffee had been made and the fish fried on the
+electric coil.
+
+"I presume you'll want hot biscuits for supper, too?" asked Clay.
+
+The visitors were too busy with the game to do more than shake their
+heads.
+
+"We usually have three kinds of meat, fish, baked potatoes, pancakes,
+light bread, pie, honey, and three or four vegetables on the side,"
+Alex. explained, with a wink at Mose, who sat in a corner next to the
+deck with Joe and Teddy watching the meat disappearing from a
+"drumstick" he was busily engaged on.
+
+"An' possum pie!" the little negro boy added, licking his chops.
+
+"Sure! I forgot the possum pie!" Alex. declared. "Excuse me!"
+
+"Certainly!" laughed Gregg, "and we'll excuse you, too, for all future
+products of the imagination! The twenty course dinners at the La Salle
+haven't got anything on this little banquet! For my part, I don't care
+whether we ever get out of here, now, or not."
+
+"Some day," Alex. observed, "I'll show you how to cook a steak à la
+brigand! After you eat one of them you'll go hungry for a week before
+you'll touch anything else!"
+
+"You may lead me to one of them any time you see fit!" Eddie laughed.
+
+The river was still roaring and foaming about the _Rambler_, caught in
+the narrow space between the two cypress trees. Just where the boat
+lay the current turned away to the east, that is the current of the
+lagoon. The Mississippi was, of course, across the inundated spit of
+land which lay on the west shore of the river and on the east side of
+the bayou or lagoon.
+
+Just as the boys finished their somewhat delayed supper the lights of
+a steamer showed up the stream. It passed the mouth of the bayou and
+hugged the opposite shore of the Mississippi for a time, then headed
+for the west shore.
+
+"That's strange!" Case exclaimed. "She sees our lights, but what is
+she coming over to this side for?"
+
+The mystery became more of a mystery still when, reaching the west
+side, the steamer turned prow up stream and started to breast the
+flood, still carrying great masses of wreckage down stream. She made
+her way up to the mouth of the bayou and stopped, her propellers going
+just fast enough to keep from dropping back.
+
+"If I'm not mistaken," Gregg suggested, "that is a boat carrying
+officers on a hunt for the escaped convicts. Can't we get out of here
+before they reach us?"
+
+"Why should we run away from them?" asked Clay, suspiciously.
+
+"Because they will mistake us for convicts," replied Gregg. "An
+officer in a position to abuse his authority always does so. Many of
+the man-hunters along the river are little better than the men they
+hunt. Some of them are worse. This, of course, does not apply to the
+sheriffs and deputies of the counties touching the river, but to hired
+detectives and gunmen who come here to make a living hunting others."
+
+"You must be sore on the police," Alex. exploded. "I've got a lot of
+friends on the Chicago police force. They're good fellows, at that!"
+
+"All right!" Gregg assented. "There are a lot of good men there. But
+if you want to remain here and permit those ruffians to overrun your
+boat, insult you, and hold you prisoners until you can get to some
+town where identification is possible, you can do so. We can stand it
+if you can."
+
+"There may be some sense in what he says," Clay urged, "and if we
+could get out of the trap we are in and make the propellers go, I'd be
+willing to go on down the river and let the officers have the whole
+country to themselves."
+
+"Can't we follow this bayou current and get out on the river below
+them?" asked Jule.
+
+Clay said no; Gregg and his chums said yes.
+
+"The water has been cutting a channel for a long time," Gregg
+explained. "It needed only a slight push to send the remaining bank
+down. There are few obstructions in the new channel, as I figure it
+out, and I believe we would go through like a top once we got started.
+And we'd better hurry, if we are going to do anything, for, of course,
+they have seen your lights. They wouldn't have stopped here if they
+hadn't."
+
+"But the propellers!" urged Clay. "They're broken."
+
+In a moment one of the men had his clothes off to the undersuit and
+was diving down at the stern of the _Rambler_. He remained under the
+water so long that the boys began to fear that he had met with some
+accident, or been attacked by a snake or an alligator. He came up
+smiling, however.
+
+"Only clogged!" he cried. "You, Gregg and Eddie, get axes and chop the
+east tree down! The boat will then swing away from the other. You must
+make the cut down in the water, then we'll have to lift the prow over
+the stump."
+
+The plan suggested proved successful, and the _Rambler_, under power,
+and trailing the mattresses, was soon feeling her way down the new
+channel. Then excitement was observed on the steamer, and she was
+headed about for the main stream again. It looked like a race was on!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE SHERIFF KNOWS A LOT
+
+
+It was still raining when the _Rambler_ headed into the Mississippi,
+and there was no glimmer of light in sight save that which came from
+the steamer, still puffing at the mouth of the bayou, and that which
+lighted the path of the motor boat. The wind had gone down, and the
+slow, soft rain dominated the night.
+
+It was evident from the very start that the steamer was no match for
+the _Rambler_ when it came to a question of speed. As well might a
+delivery truck attempt to compete in swiftness with a perfect touring
+car.
+
+Besides the power of speed, the _Rambler_ had another quality which
+enabled her to rapidly increase the distance between the two boats.
+The river was still covered with wreckage, and the motor boat was a
+good dodger! She responded quickly to her helm, avoiding the driftwood
+ahead easily, while the steamer was slower in picking her way.
+
+"Your boat is a peach!" Gregg exclaimed, enthusiastically, as the
+lights of the steamer dropped out of sight behind a bend in the river.
+"Nothing would please me better than a long trip in her."
+
+"Well," Clay replied, "why not? We are going to the Gulf, and are in
+no hurry to get there. We are shy sleeping bunks, but if you boys can
+put up with beds on the floor you are welcome to go along with us. I
+reckon you'll manage to supply your share of the provisions!"
+
+"The prospect is an attractive one," Gregg replied, "but I think we'd
+better stop at Vicksburg and find employment of some kind. Later, we
+may go on down the river in a houseboat of our own. That depends on
+how lucky we are in getting good jobs."
+
+"We shall be sorry to part with you," Case put in. "We have been
+together only a few hours, but a great deal has happened in that time!
+Only for your warning, the river thieves might have sneaked aboard the
+_Rambler_ and captured it. In that case, you know very well what would
+have become of us. We should have been murdered!"
+
+"I have no doubt that you would have taken care of yourselves," Eddie
+declared.
+
+"There's one thing I want to ask you," Clay went on, "and that is
+about the outlaw you buried back in the swamp. He was a white man,
+wasn't he?"
+
+"Yes; a white man blacked up like a negro."
+
+"Did you look him over carefully enough to be able to give me a
+description of him?"
+
+"Well, we washed him up a little when we saw that he was a Caucasian,
+and I got a fair impression of his face, which wasn't a prepossessing
+one, by any means."
+
+"Can you give me something of a notion of it in a few words?" asked
+Clay.
+
+"Some old acquaintance of yours?" asked the other, with a smile at
+Case.
+
+"He might have been. The fact is, I thought I recognized the voice of
+the spokesman."
+
+"There!" Alex. exclaimed. "I had that same notion. Mose," he added,
+turning to the negro boy, "was that the man who threw you and the dog
+into the water?"
+
+"Ah sure done thought so!" was the reply.
+
+"You think it was Sam, the Robber, the man who accompanied Red?" asked
+Jule.
+
+"I didn't know but it might be!" answered Clay, and Alex. at once
+insisted that it was the same man. Mose was ready to swear to the
+fellow's identity by this time!
+
+"Tell us how he looked after the black was washed off," requested
+Clay, after a short pause, during which the three men compared
+notes--mental notes--of their impressions of the man they had left in
+the lonely grave in the swamp.
+
+"We have decided on one word that expresses our thought of the man,"
+Gregg finally replied. "You know that all human beings in some manner
+resemble some wild animal species. Some men are lions, some are
+monkeys, some are dogs, some are bears, some are foxes. Well, this man
+was a fox!"
+
+"I thought so," Clay exclaimed. "I thought the fellow's voice sounded
+like Sam's."
+
+"There are many men with fox-faces," Gregg warned. "This man may not
+have been the individual you refer to as Sam. If he is an enemy of
+yours, keep looking for him."
+
+With this bit of good advice the matter was dropped for the time. The
+steamer was no longer in sight, but the _Rambler_ was kept on her way
+to the Gulf.
+
+In the middle of the next forenoon they came to Delta, which is at the
+bottom of the Vicksburg cutoff, on the west bank of the river. Here,
+with many handshakes and expressions of regret at parting, the three
+men left the boat.
+
+"If we have any luck at all," Gregg said, as the _Rambler_ pushed out,
+"we'll meet you somewhere south of New Orleans. We've always wanted to
+see that swamp country."
+
+The boys moved slowly down the river after that.
+
+Again they were enjoying themselves, fishing, hunting and exploring
+the country on either side of the great stream.
+
+There were lowlands, swamps, winding bayous and forests in places.
+Again, there were plantations, with noble houses showing from the
+river. Whenever they halted at a plantation landing they were received
+most hospitably.
+
+The wreckage of the flood was running out of the stream, and the water
+was dropping down to normal. Occasionally they left the boat at night
+and built rousing camp-fires on high banks. At such times plantation
+hands often gathered about them with banjo and mandolin and violin and
+made the night musical.
+
+They heard no mention of the Rock Island warehouse robbery until they
+approached Baton Rouge. The night before they sighted that beautiful
+city they camped on a piece of high land on a small island. No sooner
+was their fire blazing high than a couple of rowboats skimmed across
+the river and drew up near the little camp.
+
+There were three men in one boat and two in the other, and the whole
+five hastened to greet the boys. They were evidently planters, for
+they were well dressed and gave the impression of being gentlemen.
+
+The man who seemed to be the leader looked keenly around the camp,
+peered into the cabin of the _Rambler_, and then approached Clay with
+outstretched hand.
+
+"I don't need to ask who you boys are," he laughed. "I am a regular
+reader of the Chicago newspapers. One of them, not long ago, printed
+your pictures, including those of the dog and the cub! If you'll
+desert this camp and come over to the house, I'll be glad to put you
+up for the night."
+
+"I hardly think we would sleep well under a roof," Clay laughed, "but
+we're all very thankful for your kindness. Besides, we'll have to
+remain here and watch the boat. We've had some trouble coming down,
+and are determined to be on our guard."
+
+"You won't find any river thieves around here," smiled the visitor.
+"I'm sheriff of this parish, and I've taken considerable trouble to
+clear the country of them. You say you've had trouble on the way down?
+Then this must be the party that gave the officers such a race up
+above Vicksburg?"
+
+"There was a steamer chased us--for a little while!" grinned Clay.
+
+"Yes, I understand," replied the sheriff. "The newspapers were full of
+the incident the next day, and you were held forth to the public as
+the boldest of river brigands! Why did you run away from the
+officers?"
+
+"We only suspected that they were officers," was the answer.
+
+"It wouldn't have taken long for you to have found out," smiled the
+officer.
+
+"It might have taken us a long time to get away from them," Clay
+answered. "You know how eager some officers are to make a capture.
+Well, we didn't want to be bothered with them, so we just took to our
+heels."
+
+"The officers were looking for a boy believed to be on your boat," the
+sheriff remarked. "They had information that he had been seen with you
+on two occasions."
+
+"He must refer to Chet Vinton," Case interrupted.
+
+"I don't know his name," the sheriff went on, "but he is the boy
+believed to have taken a hand in the Rock Island robbery."
+
+"That is the lad," Clay answered, with an amused smile. "We have had
+him on board the _Rambler_ on two occasions, and each time he has
+mysteriously disappeared."
+
+"Where did you see him last?"
+
+"At Memphis."
+
+"That was after you rented a deposit box at a bank?"
+
+"You seem to know all about it," grinned Clay. "Yes, he left soon
+after I rented the deposit box in the bank. By the way, do you know a
+giant of a man, red-headed and kind-hearted, who is a gentleman of
+leisure one moment and a river pirate the next?"
+
+Clay thought he saw suppressed excitement in the face of the sheriff
+as he asked the question, and waited expectantly for an answer. The
+officer hesitated before saying a word, then he pushed the direct
+question aside.
+
+"There are a good many men along the river who might answer to the
+description," he said, "but I can't call any names to mind just now.
+What about him?"
+
+"Why, I met him on the river," Clay answered, resolved to be just as
+secretive as the officer, "and I also met a man I took to be him at
+Memphis. I have a notion that I would like to meet him again some
+time. He's all right, that man!"
+
+"Tell me this," said the sheriff, then, "what did you boys discover in
+the old house on the bank of the lagoon? I understand that at least
+two of your party spent the day there. I'd like to know what they saw
+and heard in the house."
+
+Clay regarded the sheriff suspiciously.
+
+"Has there anything happened to us on this trip that you don't know
+about?" he asked, then.
+
+"Why," replied the other, "we've been hearing about you all down the
+river. Don't forget that we have telegraph wires in this country, as
+well as up north. Yes, we've heard a lot about you, and, to tell the
+truth, I've been waiting rather anxiously for you to make your
+appearance. What about the old mansion, where the negro boy and the
+dog got your friends out of a bad mess?"
+
+"Say," Alex., who had been listening, cut in, "what do you know about
+that old mansion? What kind of a gang is it that holds forth there?"
+
+"You ought to know!" smiled the sheriff. "You called on them."
+
+"Yes, and they insisted on our making a longer visit!" grinned Alex.
+
+"Now, what is it about the boy?" the sheriff said, changing the
+subject.
+
+"You know all that I know about him," replied Clay. "He ran away from
+us following the visit to the boat of the bank cashier and two
+friends."
+
+"Yes, I heard about that," said the officer. "Now, will you be good
+enough to tell me if you have seen him since that night?"
+
+"We have not, except that he returned to the _Rambler_ during the dark
+hours and restored something he had taken away from her."
+
+"Are you sure it was the boy who came back with the leather bag?"
+asked the sheriff, with a most exasperating laugh. "Are you sure it
+was the boy?"
+
+"I am not," Clay answered, wonderingly. "I spoke too hastily. Come,
+Mr. Sheriff, tell me how you know anything about that leather bag."
+
+"I don't know much about it, that's the trouble," was the reply. "I
+wish I knew more. Now, tell me this: Have you an appointment with this
+boy farther down the river? Do you expect to meet him again during
+your trip?"
+
+Clay replied that he hoped to, and the sheriff said little more on the
+subject. He expected the sheriff to ask for the key to the deposit
+box, but he did not.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+A NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS
+
+
+"I believe," Clay declared, after a long pause, during which the
+voices of negroes along the levee came softly through the night, "that
+you know something about the three persons we are just now interested
+in."
+
+"Name the three," laughed the sheriff. "Who are they?"
+
+"First, the man we have always called Red, the Robber."
+
+"You have referred to him before, my boy."
+
+"But you gave me no satisfaction," urged Clay, eagerly. "Do you know
+him?"
+
+"I have heard of a man who sometimes answers to the name of Red. What
+next?"
+
+"The boy, Chester Vinton, accused of having had a hand in the Rock
+Island robbery."
+
+"Why do you think I know anything of him? If I knew where he was I'd
+be sure and keep him long enough to find out what he knows about that
+robbery!"
+
+"And the third person is the cashier of the bank where I left the
+packet. What did he come on board the _Rambler_ for? Who were the men
+with him?"
+
+"The cashier said he was curious to see the famous boat, didn't he?"
+
+"Pshaw!" exclaimed Clay. "That wasn't the reason he came on board!
+Honest, now, didn't he expect to find some of the plunder taken from
+the warehouse on the boat?"
+
+"I don't know what he expected to find, I'm sure. I have never talked
+with him."
+
+"Now," Clay went on, "you have referred to the leather bag, the one
+thrown on the deck of the _Rambler_. Who told you about the bag if the
+cashier didn't? I begin to think the cashier took the bag and threw it
+back, or caused it to be thrown back, when he discovered that it
+contained nothing of value."
+
+"What did it contain when you first saw it?" asked the sheriff, a
+twinkle in his eyes. "Let us talk about that, for a time!"
+
+"I'm going to show you," Clay replied, half angrily, "that I can be
+just as secretive as you can! I don't know anything about the leather
+bag!"
+
+"Well," the officer went on, with a puzzling expression on his face,
+"if you come across this boy Chet will you let me know about it?"
+
+"No, I won't!" replied Clay.
+
+"That's right! Speak right up, promptly! Now I know just what to
+expect!"
+
+"You might clear up the whole matter," Clay complained, "and yet you
+won't open your mouth! I'm not going to assist you--not if I get a
+chance, which is doubtful."
+
+"Well," said the sheriff, moving toward the boats, "I must be getting
+along! I may see you later. If you come back this way don't forget
+that you are all to be my guests for a few days. I really want to get
+better acquainted with you boys."
+
+"We'll think it over," laughed Clay. "We're thankful for the
+invitation, anyway."
+
+"And when you get down below New Orleans," the officer suggested,
+"look out for the real thing in pirates! That boat of yours would make
+a fine craft for a freebooter. And human life is not regarded as very
+valuable down there."
+
+"We'll be careful, thank you!" Clay answered, and the sheriff and his
+men went off in their boats, leaving the boys looking wonderingly at
+their retreating forms.
+
+"Now," Alex. grumbled, "what did they come here for, anyway? They
+simply let us know that they were wise to our troubles and went
+away--without finding out anything, or giving us any information
+except that they were acquainted with our movements."
+
+"They did ask for the boy Chet," suggested Case.
+
+"Don't you suppose they know what it was I put in the deposit box at
+the bank?" asked Clay. "Of course they know! Now, why didn't the
+sheriff demand the key and claim the diamonds as stolen property?"
+
+"It is peaches to prunes that he has opened the box long before this,
+or that some one has!" Alex. put in. "He's the original little
+pry-in!"
+
+"I'm all out of guesses," Jule declared, "and so I'm going to bed."
+
+The boys saw nothing of the sheriff the next morning. They were on
+their way at an early hour, and, going at a swift clip, were within
+sight of New Orleans by nightfall.
+
+"Shall we spend the night in the city?" asked Case, then.
+
+"And where would we leave the _Rambler_?" asked Jule. "If we left it
+on the river we wouldn't have any boat in the morning."
+
+Without deciding the point the boys tied up some distance above the
+city and prepared supper. The moon arose in a clear sky about eight
+o'clock and the boys did not turn on the electric lights after eating.
+They sat in the moonlight on the deck and watched Captain Joe, Teddy
+and Mose tumbling about.
+
+"If it wasn't so much trouble to dress," Case said, after a time, "I'd
+like to go to a theatre to-night, and have a swell supper afterwards."
+
+"You don't want much!" laughed Clay.
+
+"Why not go, then?" asked Alex. "I'm not too lazy to put on a decent
+suit."
+
+"Do you mean it?" demanded Case, rising from his chair.
+
+"If the others will stay and guard the boat I mean it," was the reply.
+
+"Go if you want to," Clay answered the inquiring look, "for Jule and
+Mose can help me keep off the pirates! Only don't remain away all
+night."
+
+"Ah done like to see dis town!" Mose suggested.
+
+"You'll have to wait until some other time, Mose," Clay replied. "You
+must stay on board and help repel boarders now!"
+
+The little negro grinned as if perfectly satisfied with the
+arrangement, and went on with his boxing match with Teddy. Case and
+Alex. dressed as rapidly as possible and were taken ashore, in the
+four-oared boat captured above Memphis, at the foot of a street not
+far from a trolley line running to the business center of the city.
+When Clay returned with the rowboat, Mose was on one of the willow
+mattresses which had been brought down the river.
+
+In a few minutes Clay called to him to come on board, but there was no
+reply. Mose was nowhere in sight. He had evidently started out to see
+the city on his own hook!
+
+"I reckon that is the last we'll ever see of him," Jule commented, as
+they gave up the search for the boy. "He'll get to shooting craps in
+the city and live there forever. Can't do anything with a kid like
+that."
+
+"It is hard work to knock any sense into the head of a boy brought up
+on the St. Louis levee," Clay admitted, "but I hope he'll return."
+
+"Perhaps he followed Case and Alex., and will return with them," Jule
+suggested.
+
+"That would be like him," Clay admitted.
+
+The boys were not sleepy and the moonlight was fine, so they sat on
+the deck until midnight, waiting for the others to return. They had
+not returned at one o'clock, and the watchers were becoming anxious
+when a call from the shore came to their ears. In a moment the call
+was repeated, shriller than before, and then there followed a splash
+in the river and a shot.
+
+The boys saw a figure swimming toward the _Rambler_ and got out their
+guns.
+
+"Doesn't look very formidable!" Clay observed, as the figure came
+nearer. "It looks like Mose! Now, what the mischief is the little coon
+up to, I'd like to know?"
+
+"It is Mose, all right," Jule assented, "and there's some one on shore
+shooting at him. He may have been up to some of his pranks on shore."
+
+Directly the shooting on the shore ceased, and then Mose came on
+faster, not being obliged to swim under water half the time. He
+crawled, chilly and dripping, on deck and rolled his eyes at Clay.
+
+"Dey done got um!" he exclaimed.
+
+"What about it?" demanded Jule. "Who's got them?"
+
+After much questioning it was learned that Mose had left the _Rambler_
+in time to overtake Case and Alex., that he had followed them into the
+city, and had seen them talking with Chet Vinton, the mysterious boy
+who seemed to turn up in the oddest places and to disappear in the
+strangest manner.
+
+The boys had talked with Chet for a long time, the little negro said,
+and had not gone to the theatre at all. Instead, they had gone into a
+disreputable part of the city with the boy, and had there met two men
+believed by the negro to be thieves.
+
+At last, at a late hour, the boy declared, still with much hesitation,
+Case and Alex. had attempted to leave the little cottage where they
+were sitting and had been forcibly detained. Chet, Mose said, had been
+the first one to oppose their departure. Then he, Mose, had dashed
+away to warn those on the boat and had been followed by some of the
+men he had been watching.
+
+He described in glowing terms and very bad English how he had jumped
+fences and chased through moonlit backyards, and how he had been shot
+at at every step of the way!
+
+"I reckon you were shot at because some one mistook you for a thief."
+
+Mose looked reproachfully at Jule, and rolled his eyes wider than
+ever.
+
+"What are we going to do now?" questioned Clay. "I don't know how much
+of this story to believe."
+
+"One of us might leave the boat and go back with Mose," the other
+suggested.
+
+At mention of his going back to the place from which he had fled, Mose
+rushed into the cabin, lowered his bunk, and covered up, head and
+ears, in the bedclothes! Captain Joe tried to worry him out, but
+without success.
+
+"I believe the dog can find them," Clay remarked, presently.
+
+"I'm willing to go and try what he can do," Jule answered.
+
+"If we could get that foolish negro to come along!" Clay commented.
+
+Jule went back to the bunk and shook Mose by the shoulder.
+
+"Come on," he cried. "We're going to take Captain Joe out with us and
+find the boys. You'll have to go along and show the way!"
+
+"Fo' de Law'd's sake!" wailed the boy. "Let dis coon die in hes bed!"
+
+"Come on!" insisted Jule. "You've got to come."
+
+After many arguments and many promises of reward in the shape of
+yellow shoes and red shirts, the boy consented to go ashore again.
+Clay warned Jule to be watchful and cautious and saw him go away with
+Mose and Captain Joe with a feeling that a great deal depended on his
+good judgment.
+
+Jule and Mose were obliged to wait some time for a late car, and the
+walk to the quarter of the city toward which their steps were turned
+was a long one, so it was nearly three o'clock in the morning when
+they came to a dilapidated old shanty near the river front. Mose
+declared this was the place, and Captain Joe seemed to think so also,
+for he said quite positively, in his best dog-English, that there were
+people he knew in that old ruin, which was dark in every window and
+door.
+
+Now and then, as the boys and the dog stood in front of the house,
+loiterers of the night paused in their aimless wanderings and regarded
+them speculatively, possibly mistaking them for disreputables like
+themselves. For a long time there was no sign of life in the house,
+and then a soft footstep was heard at the front door and the boys
+heard a knob stealthily turned.
+
+Listen as they might, they heard nothing more for a long time, and
+then a figure dropped softly out of an open window and moved off
+toward the river, evidently failing to see the watchers crouched near
+at hand.
+
+"That's Chet!" Jule muttered, starting away, but Mose shook his head
+vigorously.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+SOMETHING DOING ALL THE TIME
+
+
+Jule was at a loss what course to pursue. The boy who had left the
+house might be Chet, in which case he felt that he ought to follow and
+induce him to return to the _Rambler_, if that were possible.
+
+The diamonds which had been placed in the deposit vault belonged to
+Chet. At least the boy had had them in his possession when he came
+aboard the boat, and in the absence of any other claim upon them they
+belonged to him. If they did not belong to him, then their owner ought
+to be found. If they did, he ought to have possession of them.
+
+Just how a boy had become possessed of a fortune in precious stones,
+Jule was not trying to figure out at that time. What was in his mind
+was the thought that the question of ownership ought to be settled at
+once. This question, he believed, could best be settled by the boy
+himself.
+
+He waived, for the time being, all consideration of the possible
+connection of the gems with the Rock Island robbery, all consideration
+of the possible connection of the boy with the man known to him as
+Red, the Robber. Chet himself could best decide the question of
+ownership, and Jule thought he ought to be taken back to the boat, by
+force if necessary.
+
+Just as the boy was on the point of pursuing the figure, now fast
+disappearing in the shadows along the levee, Mose pulled at his arm
+and pointed to Captain Joe. The dog, with short ears and tail rampant,
+was crouching close to the closed door of the house, uttering low
+growls as his paws moved toward the threshold.
+
+"Alex. in dar!" the little negro exclaimed.
+
+Then there came a heavy, stumbling footstep along the walk, and a
+burly man in the garb of a riverman paused at the door, overlooking
+the boys crouched at the angle of the house, but cursing the dog
+drunkenly. Captain Joe behaved remarkably well under the kicks
+delivered at him, and the newcomer took a key from his pocket and
+opened the door. Before he could enter the dog had disappeared in the
+darkness of the interior.
+
+"I reckon Alex. is in there, perhaps Case, too," Jule muttered.
+
+"Yo' sure cain't fool dat purp!" Mose whispered.
+
+The boys did not attempt to follow on into the house by the open
+doorway, but passed on to the window and entered there. All was still
+dark inside. They could hear the man who had just entered moving
+about, still striking at and cursing the dog.
+
+Directly another key was turned, and then all was confusion. Jule
+switched on his flashlight and the circle it cut in the darkness
+revealed the man standing in a doorway with a long-barreled revolver
+in one shaking hand. The casings of the doorway appeared to be of
+two-inch plank, and the door itself was crossed by iron bands.
+
+The man turned as the light flashed out and fired, the bullet going
+wide of the mark. Then a voice came from the interior of the room, a
+voice which brought joy to the hearts of boys outside. The voice of
+Alex.
+
+"Get him, Joe!" the voice cried. "Get him good!"
+
+The man wheeled and shot at the springing dog, but the bullet went off
+into the ragged ceiling instead of into Captain Joe's head, as
+intended. Directly the dog and the man were in a struggle on the
+floor, the only light Jule's electric.
+
+Alex. and Case came out of the room, leaping over the fighters, and
+seized Jule and Mose in enthusiastic embraces.
+
+"Wait!" Jule commanded. "Get the man on the floor first. The dog will
+take his life. Joe!" he added, "let go!"
+
+"Take him away!" shrieked the man. "He's chewed my arm off now!"
+
+Jule picked up the fallen man's revolver and held it to his head while
+Alex. forced the dog away. There was blood on Captain Joe's jaws, and
+the man on the floor was breathing heavily.
+
+"Shut the door and put down the window!" Alex. said, presently, "and
+put the light out! There's no more fight in this chap just now."
+
+"Here, I'll fix him," Case said. "I'll chuck him into this
+refrigerator and lock him up. See how well he likes his own medicine."
+
+"But he'll get right out!" advised Jule.
+
+"Oh, will he!" Alex. answered. "Then he'll do more than we could. I'll
+bet the walls of that hole are a foot thick! And the air? I'm choked
+to death."
+
+"We tried our best to get out and couldn't," Case added.
+
+"Suppose we see if he is badly hurt before we leave him?" Jule put in.
+
+An examination showed that the dog had seized the fellow by the
+shoulder and bitten through the flesh, making an ugly though not
+serious wound.
+
+"That won't hurt him!" Alex. declared. "His chums will come and get
+him in the morning, anyway. Chuck him in and lock the door and we'll
+climb out of this!"
+
+"Isn't the place watched?" asked Jule, peering out cautiously.
+
+"It would be if the outlaws weren't drunk," Alex. replied. "There's a
+copper over on the other side of the street. Probably he heard the
+shots. We'll duck out of a back window and make for the _Rambler_."
+
+The boys were watched furtively by the policemen in that section of
+the city as they made their way along the streets with the dog, but
+they were not molested. When they came to the residence district where
+there was little fear of their being followed, Jule turned to Alex.
+with a grin.
+
+"How did you like the play?" he asked?
+
+"You saw about as much of it as we did!" was the reply.
+
+"How did you come to get into such a scrape?" was the next question.
+
+"The outlaws followed us from the boat," was the answer. "Oh, yes they
+did," the boy insisted as Jule grinned. "They were waiting for the
+_Rambler_ to come down stream! They thought we had the diamonds and
+were going into the city to dispose of them. They swore they'd keep us
+in that hole, without food or drink, until we told them where the
+stones were! I wish I'd never heard of the diamonds!"
+
+"Who was the other boy?" asked Jule.
+
+"The other boy? Where? When? Oh, that was Chet! We'll settle with
+him!"
+
+"The lad who jumped out of an open window just before we got in and
+ducked away toward the river. Was that Chet?"
+
+"Blessed if I know!" Alex. answered. "It might have been."
+
+"I believe that really was Chet!" Jule declared. "It looked like him."
+
+"How did you get here?" asked Case. "You're a wonder! And Mose and
+Joe, too!"
+
+As the boys walked along the story of Mose's runaway expedition was
+told, and Alex. immediately grasped the little negro boy by the
+collar.
+
+"You're a little brick!" he exclaimed, "and I'm going to see that you
+have a 'possum for dinner to-morrow--or to-day, rather--if there is
+one to be found in the city."
+
+"It is a wonder," Case commented, "that the fellows didn't make an
+attack on the _Rambler_! After they searched us, they talked for a
+long time in whispers and then started away. I believe they did go to
+the boat--and Clay there alone!"
+
+"We ought to make better time," Jule observed. "Where do we get the
+trolley?"
+
+"Unless we get an owl car," Alex. replied, "we'll get none at all
+until the early run, and that will be after five o'clock. Guess we've
+got to walk it."
+
+Eager, yet almost dreading, to learn the exact state of affairs on the
+motor boat, the boys traveled fast, breaking into a run now and then,
+much to the wonder and amazement of the few negroes they encountered
+making their way to the business section.
+
+At last, just before daylight, they came in sight of the boat. A short
+distance up the bank a bright camp-fire was burning, and several
+figures could be seen moving around it. All was quiet on board the
+_Rambler_. No lights were in sight, either from the cabin or the prow.
+The boys waited a short time, wondering, and then Jule went to the
+levee and looked for the rowboat. It was not there.
+
+"They've got possession, I reckon," he said, when he came back.
+
+"Then all we've got to do is to take it away from them!" Alex.
+suggested.
+
+"But how?" asked Jule. "We can't go on board without their seeing us."
+
+"First," Alex. went on, "I'm going to make a sneak up to that fire and
+find out what those men are talking about. They may be all-right
+fellows, for all we know."
+
+The others waited breathlessly for the boy's return. When he came back
+he said:
+
+"They've been on board and ransacked the cabin. They found no one
+there! Now, what do you think has become of Clay?" he added.
+
+"It's a wonder they didn't run off with the boat," Case said.
+
+"Oh, they wouldn't do that," Alex. ventured. "They want to get us. I
+half believe the men are officers. What gets me is what they built
+that fire for?"
+
+"Probably thought we were fools enough to run up to it," hazarded
+Jule.
+
+"But where is Clay?" demanded Case. "We've got to find him. Do you
+know if they left any one on board the boat?"
+
+"I didn't hear anything said about that," was the reply, "but it is a
+cinch that they did. And I believe there's more than one on board,
+too."
+
+"Hard luck to lose the boat after getting so far on our journey!" Jule
+commented.
+
+"We don't lose the boat, if they are officers," Alex. hastened to say.
+"What they want is the crew! We'll fool 'em at that. I'm going to swim
+over and see what's doing on board. If everything is all right, I'll
+make a noise like an owl."
+
+"That's a nice long swim," Case objected. "I don't think you can make
+it."
+
+"Mose made it, didn't you, coon?" Alex. replied. "I'm the boy that
+poured the water into the Mississippi! Nice adventure this?" he
+continued. "I'm going to give the residents of the valley a chromo
+each for the manner in which we have been entertained by them! Here
+goes for the _Rambler_!"
+
+"You act like you meant to walk back to Chicago," Case suggested, as
+Alex. started away, turning away from the river in order to avoid the
+people at the fire.
+
+"Oh, I'm only going to walk up a little way and drift as I swim down."
+
+"Come up on the other side, then," Case cautioned. "Then you won't be
+seen."
+
+When Alex. started away on his perilous trip Mose disappeared, and
+Captain Joe was nowhere to be seen the next minute. Case searched and
+grumbled, but did not find them.
+
+"They've gone with Alex.," he suggested. "They always do. Well, let
+them go, they can swim better than I can! Wish I was along, also."
+
+"If they are officers, the men at the fire," Jule asked, "why don't we
+go right up to them and find out what's doing? They won't lock us up,
+will they?"
+
+"That is just about what they will do if they get us," was the slow
+reply. "We would get out of jail in time, but who wants to lie in a
+cell when there is so much fun to be had on the river? These fellows
+have been wired to head us off, probably by the sheriff we met up
+there. It may be that the diamonds Clay put in the deposit box have
+been identified as the ones stolen from Rock Island. I wish Chet would
+show up right now!"
+
+"Oh, well, if they want to coop us up," Jule agreed, "we'd better cut
+our luck until they find out who stole the diamonds--or, at any rate,
+find out that we didn't."
+
+The boy ceased speaking suddenly, for the motor boat was getting under
+way, heading down toward the business wharves!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+COMMONPLACE, AFTER ALL
+
+
+"Can that be Alex. moving the _Rambler_?" asked Case, as the motors
+sputtered out their insistent clamor. "I don't believe he has had time
+to get on board yet."
+
+"Well, Captain Joe has, anyway!" Jule declared, as a sharp bark came
+from the craft, which now seemed to be turning around. "That's the
+Captain's voice, all right."
+
+Standing high on the levee, with the lights of the city growing below
+them, the lads watched the _Rambler_ for a moment and then started on
+a run up the stream toward a small landing that was not far from the
+camp-fire.
+
+"If Alex. wasn't on board," Case reasoned, "Captain Joe wouldn't be
+there. If Alex. is running the boat up to that landing, it is safe for
+us to go there."
+
+The _Rambler_ did tie up at the landing, and then the boys saw that
+the rowboat they had missed was tied to her stern. The willow
+mattresses were also still hanging on to the cords to which they had
+been tied. The men at the fire started up toward the landing as the
+boys reached it, but, much to the surprise of the lads, they did not
+attempt to go on board. In a moment Clay, Alex. and Mose showed their
+faces on deck.
+
+"Come aboard!" shouted Alex. "I've arranged a surprise party for you
+here."
+
+"What is Chet doing on there?" demanded Case. "I thought we left him
+with his new friends, the thieves, in that old house in the city."
+
+"This is no time for story-telling!" said another voice on board, and
+the man who had been known as Red, the Robber, came out of the cabin
+and sat down, calmly, on the gunwale. The boys on shore were, by this
+time, prepared for almost anything. When they reached the deck, Red
+waved a farewell to the men on the levee and the boat whirled down
+toward the Gulf of Mexico.
+
+"You see," Alex. grinned, "we don't know where we are going, but we
+are on our way."
+
+"I know!" Clay insisted, "we are going to complete our trip to the
+Gulf of Mexico. We've had all the mystery we need on this voyage, and
+the next one that starts anything in that line will be banished to one
+of the mattresses!"
+
+"All right," Alex. retorted. "We don't care about knowing what this
+all means! I reckon it is too commonplace to refer to again."
+
+He grinned at Red and Chet as he spoke, and they both laughed back at
+him.
+
+"We have with us to-night," Alex. went on, in a very good imitation of
+the after-dinner orator, "Red, the Robber! His specialty is taking
+boats away from boys and sneaking off down the river with them--until
+some one gets the drop on him!
+
+"We also have with us," he continued, "Chester Vinton, the waif who
+was rescued from a barren island in the Mississippi with a hundred
+thousand dollars' worth of diamonds in his possession! He will soon do
+his stunt of telling how he found them in a piece of pie at a Rock
+Island restaurant.
+
+"This wonderful Chet is also the last word in friendship. When he sees
+boys who have befriended him, it is his habit to turn them over to
+thieves, who lock them up--not in anger, but to protect them from
+other naughty boys!"
+
+Instead of showing anger at this blunt talk, Red and Chet sat down on
+the gunwale and laughed until the river echoed back their voices. Clay
+also seemed much amused.
+
+"What's the answer?" demanded Case, turning to Chet.
+
+"Now you boys just wait a short time," Red observed, "and you'll know
+all about it. I would tell you right now, only I see how hungry you
+all are. And, seeing that I have a monster beefsteak in the cabin,
+with ducks ready to roast, and eggs ready to fry, why, it seems like
+we ought to eat before we mix with any long yarns!"
+
+So Case and Alex. took to the cabin, and the odors of steak and coffee
+and roasting duck soon filled the boat. While the good things were
+cooking the _Rambler_ dropped down to a wharf where a tank wagon of
+gasoline awaited them, and there, also, loads of provisions of all
+kinds were put on board.
+
+And the strangest part of it all was that there was nothing to pay!
+Red appeared to have temporary charge of the boat, and the bills
+seemed to have all been paid in advance. They were headed down stream
+when breakfast was eaten.
+
+"We ought to reach the Gulf in three or four weeks, if we hurry!" Red
+observed, as he carved the ducks. "That is, if we hurry in the right
+way!"
+
+"I thought it would take until spring," Chet broke in. "I hoped so!"
+
+Alex. regarded the two with a whimsical smile on his freckled face.
+
+"How long will it be before you'll both disappear?" he asked.
+
+"Never again!" laughed Chet. "Say, boys, I did make a quick get-away a
+couple of times? What? I hated to go, but I just had to."
+
+"Yes, and you prevented Case and I making one at the house in the
+city," Alex. said.
+
+"It is all as simple as twice two," Red observed, sitting back from
+the table. "The robbery at Rock Island was planned and carried out by
+Sam, the outlaw who assisted me in the capture of the _Rambler_. I
+knew that at the time I was with him--at the time I let him go--or
+when you boys did, rather."
+
+"But why didn't you pinch him?" demanded Alex. "There's a reward."
+
+"Because I hadn't then discovered the goods which had been taken. He
+was going to take me to them, I being a possible purchaser!"
+
+"Well, of all the nerve!" Jule cut in. "Just think of that, now!"
+
+"Were they in that old house on the bayou?" asked Alex.
+
+"Some of them were. As soon as I got off your boat I wired back to
+have the place surrounded and searched. They found all the silks and
+furs there! You boys did a good job for me when you permitted
+yourselves to be trapped."
+
+"It was Captain Joe and Mose who did the good job when they got us
+out!" Jule said.
+
+"Did you find Sam again?" asked Case, in a moment. "He was a corker!"
+
+"You boys found him in the swamp," Red replied soberly, "and Mose
+executed the sentence of the law upon him--hanged him by the neck!"
+
+"So you are a detective?" asked Case. "Why didn't you say so?"
+
+"I am not," was the reply. "I am the owner of the warehouse that was
+robbed, and I set out to get the goods back, that is all."
+
+"But you asked us to take Chet on down the river when he had the
+diamonds in his clothes!" Alex. exclaimed. "What about that? It was a
+funny stunt."
+
+"Of course I didn't know that he had the diamonds," added Red, now to
+be known as Mr. George Redmond. "He told me about his having had them
+when I told him that Sam was dead, that was last night, in New
+Orleans. Then he told me that he had taken the diamonds from Sam
+because he wanted to restore them to me, but had promised Sam that he
+would never reveal his, Sam's, connection with the crime. Of course
+Sam never knew positively that the boy had stolen the diamonds, but he
+suspected."
+
+"And sent this riverman, Gid Brent, on board at Cairo to see if the
+boy was there?"
+
+"Yes, he did that. By that time I was satisfied that the boy had been
+in on the robbery--that he had been forced to enter the building by
+way of a window and open the door for the thieves to enter.
+
+"I knew that the boy would tell the whole story to me if I could get
+him away from the robbers, and not scare him half to death by putting
+him in jail. So I followed him along down the river. As the robbers
+were making their way down toward New Orleans, too, I was doing a
+pretty good job following him--and especially as the robbers were
+after him, too. They believed, all but Sam, he had taken the diamonds,
+you see.
+
+"They got him last night and searched him, but found nothing. Then
+they told him that if he would get Alex. and Case into their hands
+they would let him go. So Chet did that very thing, and now the two
+boys are witnesses that the robbers admitted to them that they were in
+on the robbery!
+
+"When they let Chet go he made for the _Rambler_ on a run, and found
+me on the way. All the people who were in the old house are under
+arrest. And the diamonds are up at Memphis in the deposit vault, and
+all is well."
+
+"How do you know that?" demanded Clay.
+
+"Why, we opened the box, the cashier and I," was the reply. "I knew
+they were there before I knew that Chet had ever had them. My one
+great difficulty was to get hold of the boy after he ran off at
+Memphis! Your boat was watched all the way down, you know, of course."
+
+Then Clay told of his talk with the sheriff, and they all laughed at
+the idea that they had not seen through it all long before.
+
+"If Chet had kept to boats I could have found him," Red went on, "but
+he rode on wreckage, and that made it difficult. I might have saved
+you boys and Chet some of this mystery talk if I had told you about it
+when I had Alex. in the cabin of my boat, after I knew where the
+diamonds were, but I thought I would let it work out for itself,
+especially as I was having the time of my life."
+
+"I suppose those three mechanics were detectives, too?" asked Case.
+
+"They were just what they represented themselves to be," was the
+reply, "and they got good positions at Vicksburg. They are expecting
+to meet you down the river, in a houseboat of their own. I saw them
+soon after they left you."
+
+"I don't wonder the robbers wanted to get hold of Chet," laughed Alex.
+"They must have been red-headed when they found that the diamonds had
+been stolen from them!"
+
+"Yes, they were," replied Chet, "but they didn't suspect me, at first.
+The man Brent, who came on board the _Rambler_ at Cairo, would have
+killed me had he found me there. I was afraid he would, so I took to
+the river."
+
+"And you took to the river again the night you threw the bag back on
+deck, too."
+
+"Yes, I got pretty cold, too. I knew where the bag was, in the cabin,
+all the time, and I thought the diamonds were in it. Believing it
+would be safe, I did not take it and run away, as I had threatened to
+do, but when the cashier and another came on the boat I did take it
+and skip. When I found that the diamonds were not there I threw the
+bag back just to let you know I was wise to the game," he added.
+
+"It is a commonplace story, after all, when you come to get it all
+told," said Mr. Redmond. "If it has spoiled your river trip I'm sorry
+for it!"
+
+"We wouldn't have had any fun only for that!" cried Alex.
+
+"Well," Clay cut in, "now we'll go down the river and have fun! We'll
+spend two months or more on the way to the Gulf, and then we'll put
+the motor boat on board a ship and sail her around to some point where
+we can get into the St. Lawrence river. The St. Lawrence comes next,
+you know."
+
+"Why not put her on a gondola car again and take her as near to the
+headwaters of the St. Lawrence as we can?" asked Case. "I'd rather
+float down than sail up, any day."
+
+"We will decide that when we get done here," Clay answered.
+
+Those were two golden months for the boys, and Mr. Redmond seemed to
+enjoy the outing fully as much as any of them. They fished and hunted
+and loafed in the numerous passages of the delta of the Mississippi,
+and built roaring fires on the knolls, when they found them, and lived
+the care-free lives boys enjoy so much.
+
+And then they were off for Chicago, and from there to the headwaters
+of the St. Lawrence. Their adventures on this noble river will be
+found in the next volume of this series; entitled:
+
+"The Six River Motor Boys on the St. Lawrence; or, the Lost Channel."
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the
+Mississippi, by Harry Gordon
+
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+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+<head>
+  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
+  <meta name="generator" content="pph (1.16)"/>
+  <meta name="title" content="The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi"/>
+  <meta name="author" content="Harry Gordon"/>
+  <meta name="date" content="1913"/>
+  <title>The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi</title>
+  <style type="text/css">
+      p.center       {text-align:center}
+      p.caption      {text-align:center; margin-left:20%; margin-right:20%;}
+      h2.chapter     {font-size:1.2em; text-align:center; margin: 2em auto 1em auto; font-weight:normal}
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+</head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi, by 
+Harry Gordon
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi
+       On the Trail to the Gulf
+
+Author: Harry Gordon
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2012 [EBook #38617]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS ON MISSISSIPPI ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was
+produced from scanned images of public domain material
+from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div style='text-align:center'>
+<img id='ilink01' src='images/illus-001.jpg' alt=''/>
+<p class='caption'>On the top of the ridge-boards, the lads saw a half-dressed negro boy.</p>
+</div>
+<hr style='border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:70%; margin:2em auto' />
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.5em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS</p>
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.5em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:2em;'>ON THE MISSISSIPPI</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>OR</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.2em;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:2em;'>On the Trail to the Gulf</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.2em;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:0;'>By HARRY GORDON</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>Author of</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado,�</p>
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence,�</p>
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Amazon,�</p>
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia,�</p>
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:2em;'>“The River Motor Boat Boys on the Ohio.�</p>
+
+<div style='text-align:center'>
+<img id='ilink02' src='images/illus-002.jpg' alt=''/>
+<p class='caption'> </p>
+</div>
+<hr style='border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:70%; margin:2em auto' />
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>Copyright, 1913</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>By A. L. Burt Company</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:0.8em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI</p>
+<hr style='border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:70%; margin:2em auto' />
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>Contents</p>
+
+<table id='toc' style='margin:auto' summary='TOC'>
+<tr><td>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink01'>I—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>A Rambler Reception Day</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink02'>II—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Alex. Goes Fishing</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink03'>III—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>A Waif from the River</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink04'>IV—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Two Boys Get a Tumble</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink05'>V—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>A New Captain on Board</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink06'>VI—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Captain Joe Makes a Hit</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink07'>VII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Searching for the <i>Rambler</i></span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink08'>VIII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Faces at the Window</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink09'>IX—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Red Declines to Talk</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink10'>X—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>More River Outlaws</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink11'>XI—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Fire-Faces on the Island</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink12'>XII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Half Full of Diamonds</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink13'>XIII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>A River Robber in a New Role</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink14'>XIV—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Alex. Breaks Furniture</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink15'>XV—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Leather Bag Missing</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink16'>XVI—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>What Dropped on Deck</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink17'>XVII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Getting out of the Mud</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink18'>XVIII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Swept Into a Swamp</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink19'>XIX—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Pilgrims from Old Chicago</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink20'>XX—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Darkey up the Tree</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink21'>XXI—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Dodging a Police Boat</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink22'>XXII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Sheriff Knows a Lot</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink23'>XXIII—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>A Night in New Orleans</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink24'>XXIV—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Something Doing All the Time</span></a><br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href='#clink25'>XXV—<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Commonplace, After All</span></a><br/>
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+<hr style='border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; width:70%; margin:2em auto' />
+
+<p class='center' style='font-size:1.2em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink01'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER I—A RAMBLER RECEPTION DAY</a></h2>
+
+<p>A white bulldog of ferocious aspect lay sound
+asleep under a small table. Lying across the dog’s
+neck, with his soft muzzle hidden between capable
+paws, was a quarter-grown grizzly bear. Now and
+then Captain Joe, as the dog was named, stirred uneasily
+in his sleep, as if in remonstrance at the liberties
+which Teddy, the cub, was taking with his
+person. The bulldog and the cub snored in unison!</p>
+
+<p>The table under which the animals slept stood in
+the middle of the small cabin of the motor boat
+<i>Rambler</i>, and the <i>Rambler</i> was pulling at her anchor
+chain in the muddy water of the Mississippi river—pulling
+and jerking for all the world like a fat pig
+with a ring in his nose trying to get rid of the line
+which held him in captivity.</p>
+
+<p>Although early in November, there were
+wandering flakes of snow in the air, and a chill wind from
+the northwest was sweeping over the Mississippi
+valley. There had been several days of continuous
+rain, and, at Cairo, where the motor boat lay, both
+the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers were out of their
+banks.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of the wind and snow, however, the
+cabin of the <i>Rambler</i> was cozy and warm. In front
+of the table where the bulldog and the young bear
+lay stood a coal stove, on the top of which two boys
+of sixteen, Clayton Emmett and Alexander Smithwick,
+were cooking ham and eggs, the appetizing
+flavor of which filled the little room. A dish of
+sliced potatoes stood not far away, and over the
+cherry-red coils of an electric stove at the rear of
+the cabin a great pot of coffee was sizzling and adding
+its fragrance to rich contributions of the frying
+pan.</p>
+
+<p>While the boys, growing hungrier every second,
+stirred the fire and laid the table, footsteps were
+heard on the forward deck of the motor boat, and
+then, without even announcing his presence by a
+knock, a roughly-dressed man of perhaps forty years
+stepped into the cabin and stood for a moment staring
+at the bulldog and the bear, stood with a hand
+on the knob of the door, as if ready for retreat, his
+lips open, as if the view of the interior had checked
+words half spoken. Alex. Smithwick regarded the
+man for a moment with a flash of anger in his eyes,
+then he caught the humor of the situation and resolved
+to punish the intruder for his impudence in
+walking into the cabin without a bit of ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>“Look out for the bulldog and the bear!� he
+warned. “They consumed two river-men last week!
+The bulldog tears ’em down, an’ the bear eats ’em!�</p>
+
+<p>“What kind of a menagerie is this?� began the
+visitor, but Alex. gave the bulldog a touch with his
+foot, and the dog and the bear were in the middle of
+the space between the table and the stove, snarling
+fiercely, before the startled intruder could open the
+door. “Call the brutes off!� he added as Teddy
+began boxing the empty air.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t stand in the doorway!� Alex. warned,
+while Clay Emmett turned his face away so as not
+to betray his enjoyment of the situation. “It makes
+’em mad to keep the door open! What do you
+want?�</p>
+
+<p>The visitor stepped outside and beckoned to the
+boys through the glass panel. Alex. went out on
+the deck and stood waiting. The visitor was evidently
+a riverman, tall, muscular, heavy of hand
+and sullen of face. He wore rough clothing, neither
+clean nor whole, and his face was well covered by a
+bushy beard, light in color except around the
+mouth, where it was stained with tobacco. Alex.
+noted that he looked away whenever their eyes met
+for an instant.</p>
+
+<p>“I’m Gid Brent, the riverman,� he said, in a
+moment, “and I’ve come to warn you boys against
+starting out alone, on the river in this boat.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s kind of you,� Alex. replied. “What’s
+the matter with the boat?�</p>
+
+<p>“It is the river there’s something the matter
+with,� replied the other. “The water is high, and is
+pouring into all the old channels and ditches from
+Cairo to the Gulf. If you start out without a pilot,
+you’ll run into some bayou and end in a swamp, a
+couple of hundred miles from the main channel.�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re a pilot, eh?� asked Alex., with a provoking
+grin.</p>
+
+<p>“Yes; and I’m called the best on the river,� was
+the boasting reply.</p>
+
+<p>“And you’re looking for a job?� Alex. continued,
+insinuatingly.</p>
+
+<p>“I might accept the right kind of a job,� Brent
+replied, “but I shouldn’t want any menagerie on
+board with me. Where are you boys going?�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, well,� Alex. said, gravely, though there was
+fun in his eyes, “if you object to our pets, that settles
+it! We brought Captain Joe, the bulldog, from
+the Amazon, and Teddy Bear, the cub, from British
+Columbia.�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, if they’re tame!� the other exclaimed. “I
+might——�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll call ’em out an’ see what they say to you!�
+Alex. replied, mischief in his eyes, opening the cabin
+door and inviting the bulldog and the bear out to the
+deck!</p>
+
+<p>Captain Joe snarled at the man’s feet and Teddy
+Bear stood up and squared off in front of him in a
+boxing attitude! Brent swung toward the little pier
+against which the motor boat lay, and the animals,
+thus encouraged, sprang at him.</p>
+
+<p>In a minute the pilot was on the pier, racing
+toward the shore as if for his life! Clay came out
+on deck and both boys stood laughing at the retreating
+figure. Presently Brent came to an old warehouse,
+where security might be found in an open
+doorway. Here he stopped and turned back, shaking
+a fist at the grinning lads.</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll be even with you for that!� he shouted.
+“I’ll teach you to set your dog on me, you miserable
+little bum-boat tramps! I’ll show you!�</p>
+
+<p>“Get him, Captain Joe!� cried Alex., angry at
+the impertinent language used, but Clay caught the
+bulldog by the collar and held him back.</p>
+
+<p>“All right!� smiled Alex. “Let the tramp go,
+if you want to! Anyway, I’m about half starved!
+Funny, Case and Jule don’t get back! They’ve been
+gone three hours!�</p>
+
+<p>“They’ll get cold beans for supper if they don’t
+show up pretty soon!� Clay said, turning back to
+the cabin. “The ham and eggs and potatoes are
+just done!�</p>
+
+<p>Even as Alex. closed the cabin door behind
+himself, running footsteps were heard, and the next moment
+two boys of about his own age, Cornelius
+Witters and Julian Shafer, made their appearance,
+racing off the pier and on to the deck of the motor
+boat like young colts. They dashed into the cabin
+and dropped down into seats at the table.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s the matter with the fellow at the head
+of the pier?� Case Witters asked. “He called to us
+not to come down here! Said there was a crazy
+boy, a mad dog and a grizzly loose in the boat!
+Guess you got him peeved, didn’t you?�</p>
+
+<p>“He’s too fresh!� Alex. responded. “He came
+on board as if he owned the boat, and then had
+the nerve to tell us that we’d get lost if we went
+down the river without a pilot! He wanted a pilot’s
+job! We should have given Captain Joe a bite out
+of him!�</p>
+
+<p>“Did he say he was a pilot?� asked Jule Shafer,
+with a wink at Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Sure thing he did!� answered Alex. “Said he
+was the best on the river!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Case began, “if he is a pilot he is out of
+practice! I heard him asking a man about the passage
+from Hickman to Reelfoot lake. When we
+went up-town that same man who spoke to us on
+the pier stood on the levee with a bunch of toughs.
+Their heads were together, as if they were planning
+mischief. I thought they looked at Jule and I in a
+strange way, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t believe he ever came on board to get a
+job!� Jule broke in. “He’s a spy! That’s just
+what he is, and I wish Captain Joe had eaten him
+up!�</p>
+
+<p>“But why should he come spying here?� asked
+Clay. “We’re not river thieves!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, there’s something odd going on at Cairo!�
+Case asserted. “There are crowds on the streets,
+and the policemen seem to be on their metal! I
+guess we would have been locked up as suspects if
+we hadn’t had on pretty good clothes!�</p>
+
+<p>“Why didn’t you ask some one to tell you about
+it?� demanded Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“We did,� Jule answered, “and got our trouble
+for our pains! There’s been a warehouse robbery
+up the river somewhere, but I don’t see why that
+should make such a stir down here at Cairo. The
+merchant I ordered the gasoline of said that $100,000
+in diamonds and furs had been taken, and
+that a watchman who resisted had been seriously
+wounded.�</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps they think we’re the thieves!� suggested
+Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“I shouldn’t wonder if they did,� Case grinned.
+“Anyway, the men I talked with seemed to have
+loose shingles—they acted that way, all right!�</p>
+
+<p>“Loose shingles!� cried Alex. “You’ll wash
+dishes for a week for that! Loose shingles is
+slang, and we’re not to talk slang. If you wanted
+to indicate a slant in the belfry, why didn’t you
+say——�</p>
+
+<p>“Slant in the belfry!� roared Case. “Guess
+that isn’t slang! I’ll have plenty of help washing
+dishes, all right. S-a-a-y, listen to that, will you!�</p>
+
+<p>As the boy spoke he lifted a hand for silence, and
+the four sat at the table silent and motionless. It
+was growing dusk now, and the deck of the motor
+boat showed dim under the gathering shadows of
+the night. While the lads sat there, listening, Captain
+Joe, the bulldog, ran to the closed door and
+sniffed suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s some one out on deck!� Case exclaimed,
+then. “I wonder if that fellow has had the nerve to
+come back here? I’ll go and see who it is, anyway.�</p>
+
+<p>“Why don’t you wait and see what he will do?�
+asked Clay. “If he thinks we’re the robbers, he’ll
+show himself directly. If it is only a sneak thief,
+he’ll take a jump in the river the minute he knows
+we are aware of his presence on the deck. Give him
+a chance!�</p>
+
+<p>Then three words came in a whisper from the
+outside of the door. They were spoken in a trembling
+voice, accompanied by a soft knock on the
+lower panel.</p>
+
+<p>“Let me in!� the voice said. It seemed like the
+voice of a child, too.</p>
+
+<p>“Come on in, if you want to!� Alex. answered.
+“This seems to be our reception day!�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure! Come on in! Don’t be so mysterious
+about it, whoever you are!�</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke Case arose and opened the door.
+Instantly there tumbled into the cabin a boy of
+twelve or fourteen—a slender, thin-faced lad whose
+whole appearance indicated little food and little
+parental care. He did not rise to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>“Well, what is it?� asked Clay, taking the intruder
+by the arm. “Why don’t you get up and
+introduce yourself? What do you want here, anyway?�</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t switch on the light!� the boy pleaded, as
+Clay stretched his hand toward the electric switch.
+“They are watching the boat from the pier, and I
+don’t want them to know I got in. That’s why I
+didn’t stand up when the door was opened. The
+railing of the deck protected me from the view of
+any one up there. I’m running away!�</p>
+
+<p>“You look the part!� Clay observed, motioning
+the visitor to a chair. “Why?�</p>
+
+<p>“Because they’ll make me tell who stole the
+diamonds and furs up at Rock Island,� was the
+hesitating reply. “They’ll put me in jail if I don’t
+tell!�</p>
+
+<p>“If you know and won’t tell,� Clay observed,
+“they surely will put you in jail!�</p>
+
+<p>“Why won’t you tell?� asked Alex. “Perhaps
+you helped do the job yourself!�</p>
+
+<p>“No I didn’t!� the boy said.</p>
+
+<p>He was about to say more when there came another
+voice from outside—a slow, steady voice demanding
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>“Listen, you kids in there,� the voice said.
+“Listen, and I’ll tell you what to do to save a couple
+of lives!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink02'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER II—ALEX. GOES FISHING</a></h2>
+
+<p>“Things seem to be coming our way!� Alex.
+observed. “Can either of you boys see the fellow
+who is doing the talking?�</p>
+
+<p>Clay stepped to the cabin door and opened it.
+The night had fallen swiftly, and the deck was quite
+dark. The boy started toward the switch which
+controlled the prow light, but the voice checked him,
+coming, not from the pier, but from the water at
+the side of the motor boat.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t turn on any lights!� the voice said.
+“I’m right here under the overhang. I came to ask
+you to do me a favor! You look like decent sort of
+chaps!�</p>
+
+<p>“Thanks for the compliment!� Alex. put in, from
+the cabin door, where he stood with a freckled nose
+wrinkled to its full capacity—and then a little more!</p>
+
+<p>“Keep still a minute, can’t you?� demanded
+Clay. “Let us see what it is the man wants us to
+do for him. Why don’t you come on deck?� the
+boy added, bending over in the hope of getting a
+view of the strange visitor.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t come on deck,� was the reply, “because
+I’m not lookin’ for trouble! I’m in bad here,
+strangers, an’ I want you to take the boy down the
+river with you!�</p>
+
+<p>The lad who had recently come on board now
+came up to the cabin door and stood in a listening
+attitude. In the deep dusk his face could not be
+seen plainly, but Alex., who stood close to his side,
+knew that he was shaking with the chill of the water.</p>
+
+<p>“The boy says he is running away,� objected
+Clay, bending still lower over the deck railing.
+“We are not going to aid in any such a game,� he
+added.</p>
+
+<p>“Shucks!� came the answer, still from the water.
+“He ain’t got nobody nor nothin’ to run away from,
+that kid ain’t! Hide him until you get out of Cairo,
+an’ then I may be able to do something for him.�</p>
+
+<p>“What’s the answer?� Alex. cut in. “Why
+should he want to be hidden? Perhaps you’re the
+man that robbed the warehouse at Rock Island!
+He just told us that he knew who did it! Come on
+deck, and we’ll talk it over.�</p>
+
+<p>“If you want to get away from Cairo without
+sampling all the jails in the county,� the unseen
+man continued, “you’ll slip anchor an’ get down
+the river right soon! The men who are watchin’
+you are comin’ down the pier now. I reckon they
+saw me talking from the bosom of the river. Before
+I duck under an’ head for Missouri, I’ll tell you
+that the kid you’ve got there is O. K. Take him
+along with you!�</p>
+
+<p>Then, much to the amazement of the boys on the
+motor boat, a shot came out of the darkness in the
+direction of the pier, and a bullet cut the water close
+to where the man lay, near the prow, half afloat and
+half clinging to the hull of the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“You see!� the unseen man said. “Drop down
+until this excitement is over!�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s a cheerful kind of a merman,� Alex. declared.
+“He heard the shot and took his own advice
+to disappear, anyway! What do you think of
+him? Heading a lot of gunmen in this direction an’
+then advising us to run away!�</p>
+
+<p>For a moment nothing was heard save the sighing
+of the wind and the wash of the river. Lights
+were showing in the city, which was not far from
+the pier, and one large street lamp disclosed the
+figures of a dozen men running toward the motor
+boat! The man who had done the shooting stood
+near the foot of the pier, a revolver in his hand.
+Clay sprang for the switch which controlled the
+prow light.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s more like it!� came a voice from the
+shore, as the light flared out on the cluttered pier
+and the swirling waters of the river. “Why didn’t
+you do that before?�</p>
+
+<p>“Quit your shooting and come on board!�
+Clay advised. “We understand the use of firearms
+ourselves! Come aboard and tell us what all this
+is about.�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll come, fast enough!� said one of the advancing
+party. “Keep your lights on.�</p>
+
+<p>In a minute more the little motor boat was
+crowded with rough-looking men, all armed, and all
+insisting that every nook and corner of the <i>Rambler</i>
+should be searched.</p>
+
+<p>The boys offered no objections, but sat on the
+deck railing waiting for the men to perform their
+task and go away. Captain Joe and Teddy, however,
+objected strenuously, and it required the
+efforts of all four, before the search was completed,
+to keep the pets from being shot by those whose legs
+had been nipped by sharp teeth.</p>
+
+<p>Finally one of the men, who seemed to be in command,
+demanded of Clay:</p>
+
+<p>“Where did the boy who came on board go?�</p>
+
+<p>“He must have gone into the river,� was the
+reply. “Just after the shooting I looked for him,
+but he was not here. Who is he, and what is he
+wanted for?�</p>
+
+<p>“He belongs to the man who robbed the warehouse
+office up at Rock Island,� was the gruff reply.
+“If you shelter him you’ll be breaking the law.
+What was that swimmer saying to you?� the fellow
+continued. “That’s the man we want! Why
+should he come to you, anyway?�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know why he should come to us any
+more than I know why you men should come on
+board with your insulting suspicions,� Clay answered.
+“When you make up your minds that
+neither the man nor the boy is here, we’ll go on
+down the river.�</p>
+
+<p>The search continued for some moments, and
+the men reluctantly went ashore.</p>
+
+<p>“Honest!� Alex. then asked of Clay. “Honest,
+now! Where did the boy go?�</p>
+
+<p>“He must have taken a jump into the river,� was
+the boy’s reply. “He certainly is not on board the
+<i>Rambler</i>. He just disappeared when those men
+appeared.�</p>
+
+<p>“Then he’s probably drowned!� Alex. commented.
+“No one could swim long in that current.
+And the man, too, probably went under! Too
+bad!� he added, soberly.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay declared, “I’ve got enough of the
+hospitality of this city. Suppose we drop down to-night?
+It will be risky sailing because of the flood,
+but at the same time it may keep us all out of jail.
+Those men may come back after they get a few
+more drinks.�</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Rambler</i> was a staunch little motor boat,
+fully competent to make her way in almost any body
+of water, but the boys were afraid of driftwood and
+wreckage, and also of running off into bayous which
+ran out into swamps for miles, with almost as
+strong a current as the main channel. Those who
+have read previous volumes of this series will doubtless
+recall the adventures of the four boys in Brazil
+on the Amazon river, on the Columbia river, far up
+in British Columbia, and on the Colorado river, as
+far up as the Grand Canyon.</p>
+
+<p>A month before that night in Cairo, the boys had
+launched the motor boat on the Mississippi far up
+near its source. They had struggled with sandbars
+and falls, but had at last worked round the Falls of
+St. Anthony and struck better water. They had
+met with plenty of adventures on the way, but nothing
+of the character of the happenings of that evening.
+The portion of their journey really worthy of
+record begins at Cairo on this early November night.</p>
+
+<p>The pets, of which the boys were very fond, had,
+as already stated by one of the boys, been acquired
+in Brazil and British Columbia, Captain Joe having
+been bought by Alex. at Para, and Teddy having
+been rescued from a tree wreck in the great river of
+the north. Both animals had been taught all sorts
+of tricks by the boys.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s all right, about our being in danger
+here,� Case observed, “but, at the same time, if we
+leave now, in the night, with the river up, we shall
+only confirm the suspicions of those on shore. Suppose
+we move away from this pier, so as to be out of
+the way of the mob, and anchor in another place,
+where those whose duty it is to look up suspicious
+river boats can find us if they desire to? For one,
+I don’t like the idea of being chased down the river.�</p>
+
+<p>“Solomon had nothing on you!� Alex. agreed.
+“We may as well remain here until morning. I
+must confess that I don’t like the way the Father of
+Waters is acting!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, let us get somewhere and settle down for
+the night!� Jule suggested. “I’m still hungry!
+Those fellows spoiled my supper. Who wants more
+ham?�</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� Alex. cried, with one of his inimitable
+grins, “why not have a fish for supper? I won’t be
+able to sleep much, on account of watching, and
+may as well have a good square meal! Then I’ll sit
+up and you boys can go to bed.�</p>
+
+<p>“Where can you get a fish to-night?� demanded
+Jule. “Think one is going to climb up on the deck?
+Ham is good enough for me right now!�</p>
+
+<p>But Alex. did not abandon the idea of having a
+fish supper. After the <i>Rambler</i> had been taken a
+short distance up the river and anchored in a little
+bay which promised protection from the rushing
+current, loaded at times with driftwood and the
+wreck of houses and barns, the lad again broached
+the subject.</p>
+
+<p>“I can get the rowboat out,� he insisted, “and
+let her down stream with a line. Then I can fish
+under that bank to the east. Don’t you ever think
+all the river fish have moved into top flats because of
+the flood! I saw one jump up just a moment ago!
+You boys keep a good fire and I’ll guarantee to bring
+the fish!�</p>
+
+<p>“Go it!� Clay laughed. “I wouldn’t go out in
+a rowboat for a dozen fish suppers, but you seem
+to have the luck of the Irish on such occasions, so get
+to going!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll eat the fish, all right!� Alex. taunted,
+“so help me get the boat down.�</p>
+
+<p>The skiff was lowered from the roof of the little
+cabin and placed in the water, with a great splash.
+It tugged and strained at the cord which held it, and
+now and then received severe bumps from floating
+debris, but Alex. insisted on drawing it up and
+jumping in. Then he set about getting his fish for
+supper!</p>
+
+<p>For a long time the boy fished without receiving
+any intimation that there was a fish left in the river!
+The boat caught plenty of driftwood, however. At
+times great masses of trees and timbers would go
+sailing down, advancing out of the darkness into
+the circle of light about the <i>Rambler</i> as if brought
+to life by the presence of mankind. Then the darkness
+would receive them again and the water would
+run clear for a time.</p>
+
+<p>The little bay where the <i>Rambler</i> was moored
+was in a measure out of the sweep of the strong
+current, still the water eddied and swirled around
+the little rowboat in a threatening manner.
+Sometimes the boy had all he could do to keep the craft
+from turning turtle and dumping him into the river.
+The other boys, watching from the deck of the
+motor boat, often called to him to draw up on the
+line in order to avoid a mass of wreckage drifting
+that way.</p>
+
+<p>The strong, high prow-light of the motor boat
+cast a sharp illumination over the river for some
+distance up stream, revealing the approach of dangerous
+wreckage, and the lone fisherman was often
+glad to heed the warnings of his chums. At last,
+however, just as he was playing a fish which seemed
+to him as large as a whale, and twice as ferocious,
+he heard a call which he disregarded for a second.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s a roof coming down!� Clay shouted
+to the boy. “It is likely to pay you a visit! Better
+come aboard!�</p>
+
+<p>“And there’s something moving on it!� Jule
+shouted. “It looks like a baby!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. was busy with his line. The fish supper was
+almost in sight! If he heard what was said to him
+he did not heed the warning, for he kept on playing
+his fish, which seemed inclined to take the rowboat
+down the river to the Gulf of Mexico!</p>
+
+<p>The piece of roof to which the boys pointed
+swung around the side of the <i>Rambler</i> and was
+pulled in toward the shore by the eddy which had
+drawn so many lesser objects in. Then, for the
+first time, Alex. saw his danger. If the mass struck
+the boat it might crush it. At the very least it
+would be likely to break the line with which it was
+attached to the <i>Rambler</i> and send him adrift!</p>
+
+<p>The boy seized the cable and began to draw the
+boat up to the <i>Rambler</i>, seeking protection under its
+bulk. Then he heard a cry come from the raft, and
+saw a mite of a boy reaching out his hands. The
+boat dropped back and the mass, edging in below the
+<i>Rambler</i>, struck it full on the prow!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink03'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER III—A WAIF FROM THE RIVER</a></h2>
+
+<p>The cable tying the rowboat to the <i>Rambler</i>
+parted with a snap as the wreckage struck the light
+craft, and Alex. went rocking and bobbing down
+toward the Gulf of Mexico! The boys on the
+<i>Rambler</i> saw him get out an oar to secure steerway,
+though he was pressed on by the house roof which
+had done the mischief.</p>
+
+<p>It was not a flat roof, but one with two steep
+sides and a sharp apex. It rode the current apex up,
+as if floating on a floor crossing under the eaves.
+On the top of the ridge-boards, clinging on with
+hands and bare heels, and shouting fit to wake the
+people of Cairo, the lads on the <i>Rambler</i> saw a half-dressed
+negro boy of perhaps ten or eleven years.
+The more the roof bobbed on the waves the louder
+he yelled.</p>
+
+<p>When the line snapped Clay rushed to the motors
+and turned on full power. The <i>Rambler</i> trembled
+as she thrust her nose against the current, wavered,
+and then, answering her helm, swung around
+broadside to the sweep of water, shook a mass of wreckage
+from her prow, as a dog shakes off water, and
+edged down stream.</p>
+
+<p>In a minute after the accident the powerful motor
+boat was chasing Alex., the little negro boy, and the
+teetering roof down toward Memphis! It was dark
+on the river, and the roaring of the waters made the
+prospect doubly disagreeable. The current was running
+fast, and that one minute of getting under way
+had swept the rowboat some distance down stream.
+Still it was just visible under the strong prow light.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s Alex.’s fish!� shouted Chase, pointing
+to the cowering negro boy on the apex of the roof.
+“Wonder how he wants him cooked for supper?�</p>
+
+<p>“The last find Alex. made,� Jule laughed, “was a
+bear! What will he be finding next? S-a-a-y, you
+coon!� he called out, shaping his hands for a trumpet
+in order to direct his voice, “don’t you go to
+dropping off! We’ll pick you up with the motor
+boat,� he continued, as the little fellow began scrambling
+toward the water’s edge.</p>
+
+<p>“There he goes!� shouted Clay, as the negro
+boy, not heeding Jule’s directions, went clattering
+down the shingles and dropped into the river.
+“The little fellow was afraid we would go away
+and leave him! What do you think of that?� he
+added. “The coon is swimming like a fish to the
+rowboat!�</p>
+
+<p>The boy would have reached the rowboat handily
+if a heavy piece of timber had not intervened. It
+struck him head-on as he swam, and he went under
+the brown waters. Then the boys on the <i>Rambler</i>
+saw Alex. throw off his coat, take the broken line
+between his teeth, and dive into the river, just missing
+the great timber as he went headfirst into the
+flood! There was a growl and a snarl on deck, and
+then Captain Joe and Teddy Bear were both in the
+river, swimming down toward the swaying roof.</p>
+
+<p>The bulldog, with the instinct of the intelligent
+canine, doubtless recognized the peril of the situation
+and took to the water on an errand of rescue,
+but with the bear it was different. He had been
+patiently taught to bathe and play in the water with
+the boys, and now he saw only a frolic ahead!</p>
+
+<p>However this may be, it was the bear cub who
+seized the negro boy as he came to the surface, half
+supported by Alex.’s arm. The little fellow had not
+been rendered unconscious by the blow he had received,
+and was able to sustain himself in the water
+as soon as he came to the surface.</p>
+
+<p>Alex. was busy hauling the boat back, or trying
+to, with the end of the line in one hand, and Captain
+Joe swam directly to him. He knew that if he released
+the line the rowboat would drift away, leaving
+him and his companions to be rescued by the
+<i>Rambler</i>, and he had a stubborn notion that he would
+like to get out of the mess without the assistance of
+his chums! They would then have no opportunity
+to make sly remarks about his skill as a fisherman!
+The fishline was wound around his left arm, and he
+believed that the fish he had been playing when the
+accident took place was still on the hook!</p>
+
+<p>The situation was clearing, for Alex. held to the
+line, and boy, bear, dog, and frightened negro boy,
+were doing very well in the swift current when
+another mass of wreckage came sweeping down
+upon them. As it came down Alex. dove under, and
+the negro boy started to do the same, but just then
+his eyes fell on the bear, hanging to his arm, and
+with a scream which only half disclosed how scared
+he was he scrambled on the floating heap of brush
+and was swept down stream!</p>
+
+<p>His round eyes were, apparently, as large as saucers
+and as white as chalk as he turned to see Teddy
+Bear pursuing him to his place of refuge. Familiar
+with the water game, the bear chased the negro boy
+to the limit of the wreckage and pushed him in with
+his nose. By this time Alex. was clinging to the
+rowboat, with Captain Joe serving as chaperon, and
+the <i>Rambler</i> was at hand, the boys on board cheering
+Teddy and the negro boy as they chased around
+the brush heap from which they had been pitched
+into the river. Although they called out to the boy
+not to be afraid of the bear, his cries rose above the
+roar of the waters!</p>
+
+<p>Alex. and Captain Joe were picked up first, the
+rowboat made secure, and then the <i>Rambler</i> rounded
+the floating mass of brush and took Teddy on board.
+The little fellow scrambled away from the hands
+reached out to grasp him, his eyes following the
+figure of the bear as it was lifted on deck.</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd’s sake!� he gasped, his eyes
+round and white, “don’ yo’ feed dis coon to dat
+bear! He sure done eat dis chile!�</p>
+
+<p>When passed up to the deck the boy gave one look
+at the bear, let out another yell of fright, and, ducking
+into the cabin, dodged under the table, where he
+crouched on hands and knees, his eyes sticking out
+like white doorknobs. The boys were too full of
+laugh for the time being to try to explain matters
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Alex. was on deck he began unwinding
+the fishline from his arm. Then he played it over
+the side of the boat, much to the amusement of his
+chums.</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps you think I didn’t catch a fish?� the
+lad demanded, with a wink at Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“If you didn’t get a fish,� laughed Clay, “it is
+about the only thing you didn’t bring out of the
+river with you! We fished out a bear, a dog, and a
+baby coon with you! You surely ought to have a
+fish!�</p>
+
+<p>And Alex. did have a fish! It was firmly hooked,
+and came flopping out of the water when he drew in
+the line. Still under the table, with his eyes on the
+bear, the rescued negro boy licked his chops when he
+saw it. Clay observed the action and went to him.
+After a time the little fellow was coaxed out of his
+hiding-place.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s a pet bear!� explained Clay. “He
+won’t bite you!�</p>
+
+<p>The boy seemed to want to believe the other, for
+the sake of the fish supper which appeared to be
+coming soon, but he edged away from the cub, all
+the same!</p>
+
+<p>“You hungry?� asked Case, coming up.</p>
+
+<p>The little fellow nodded, and Case went on.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s your name?�</p>
+
+<p>“Abraham Lincoln Charles Sumner Horace
+Greeley Banks!�</p>
+
+<p>The little chap repeated the names in a sing-song
+tone, with the air of one who had been carefully
+drilled in the repetition. The boys broke into
+shouts of laughter, and even Teddy Bear nosed his
+way through the little group and stood gazing at the
+negro boy with reproving eyes! The boy tried to
+dodge away, but Clay held him fast.</p>
+
+<p>“Jerusalem!� Case cried, as soon as he could control
+his voice. “What a name! Where did you get
+it, chile?�</p>
+
+<p>“Mah mammy done ’stowed it on me!� was the
+reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Well, it is too long,� Clay decided, “so we’ll
+just call you Mose! Do you happen to be hungry,
+little one?� he added, with a glance at the fish.</p>
+
+<p>In answer the boy laid his hands on the region of
+his stomach and grinned.</p>
+
+<p>“Where do you live?� asked Alex., ringing the
+water out of his clothes, which had been removed as
+soon as he reached the deck. “What will your
+mammy say to your going off on the river? She’ll
+wallop you, chile, good an’ plenty!�</p>
+
+<p>“I done run away!� answered the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s two to-night!� grinned Alex., preparing
+to dress the fish for supper. “How many more are
+we likely to find before we get to the Gulf?�</p>
+
+<p>Teddy Bear, who seemed to feel that he was deserving
+of some attention for having rescued Mose
+from instant death in the river, now came up and
+brushed his soft nose over the boys’ hand. Mose’s
+eyes grew wider, but, seeing that the bear did not
+offer to bite, he ventured to stroke his head,
+whereat the cub sat up on his hind feet and asked to
+have a boxing lesson!</p>
+
+<p>“That bear is a spoiled child!� Case remarked,
+as Teddy began sparing. “He is no good at all—just
+a clown!�</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you run from?� asked Jule, anxious
+to know more of the negro boy.</p>
+
+<p>“San Louee,� was the reply. “I done lived on
+th’ levee!�</p>
+
+<p>“From St. Louis, eh?� Clay said. “Where do
+you want to go?�</p>
+
+<p>“I done hire out to you all,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Of course!� Alex. laughed. “Didn’t we bring
+him up out of the waters? He’ll make a fine playmate
+for Teddy Bear!�</p>
+
+<p>“If he doesn’t disappear, as that other waif did,�
+smiled Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Where do you suppose that boy went to?�
+asked Alex. “He never swam to shore, that is, to
+the other shore, and if he had landed on the pier
+when the men came on board they would certainly
+have seen him. I reckon the darkness just ate
+him!�</p>
+
+<p>“And the man who came to speak a good word
+for him!� Clay went on. “If he had been the
+thief wanted for the Rock Island diamond and fur
+robbery, he couldn’t have been more mysterious.
+The boy said he would be made to tell about the
+robbery if they found him, and this man wanted to
+get him out of the way, so I guess we can put the
+pieces together and patch out the truth. The man
+is one of the robbers and the boy belongs to
+him!�</p>
+
+<p>“If I had the Sherlock genius you toss out so
+easily,� Jule cut in, “I’d put it in a book. Why
+should the robber come to us to speak a good word
+for the boy? He ought to have known that we’d
+see through the game.�</p>
+
+<p>“He may not be the robber at all,� Case observed.
+“There was some mystery connected with the two,
+and that’s all we know about it! The man is gone,
+and the boy is gone, and they are probably drowned,
+so we may as well count the story closed.�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll go you a dinner at the Bismark, as soon as
+we get back to Chicago,� Clay insisted, “that we
+find both the man and the boy before we get down
+to the Gulf!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re in for the dinners, then!� Case exclaimed.
+“And now,� he went on, “what are we
+going to do to-night? Are we going on down the
+river, or are we going to get into some cozy little
+slip and anchor for the second time?�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m no good Solomon on an empty stomach,�
+laughed Clay. “Wait until Alex. has his fish supper
+served! You want some, too, don’t you Mose?� he
+added, turning to the little fellow, who stood gazing
+from the bear to the fish, now ready for the
+pan.</p>
+
+<p>“I’s done gone empty cl’ar to mah toes!� was
+Mose’s reply.</p>
+
+<p>After the fish had been eaten Mose was put to
+bed in one of the bunks, and the boys decided to go
+on down the river. They wanted to get away from
+any such entanglement as had been suggested by the
+visit of the officers and the search of the motor
+boat.</p>
+
+<p>They made a long distance with little trouble, as
+they were going with the driftwood, and at daylight
+tied up in a small bayou, at the end of which a deserted
+old house stood lowering down upon the
+flood with a touch of mystery in the broken windows
+and overhanging eaves!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink04'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER IV—TWO BOYS GET A TUMBLE</a></h2>
+
+<p>“I’d give a cent to know just where we are!� Jule
+declared, as he stood on the deck of the <i>Rambler</i>,
+waiting for Case’s call to breakfast, the advance
+odors of which were creeping out of the cabin,
+where Mose and Teddy Bear lay on a rug together,
+evidently the very best of friends!</p>
+
+<p>“Give me the coin, then,� Alex. exclaimed. “We
+are about ten or fifteen miles below Hickman, Kentucky,
+and we are on the Missouri side; and there’s
+a loop of river which runs north a long way and
+comes back again. Some day the Mississippi will
+cut through the neck of land, and then there’ll be
+another large island, with houses set back from the
+river a long distance! Give me the cent!�</p>
+
+<p>Jule gravely passed the coin over to Alex., who
+as gravely pocketed it, and drew Jule to a seat beside
+himself on the gunwale of the boat. Captain Joe
+came up to the boys as they sat there and wagged
+his tail, his nose pointing toward the deserted old
+house at the end of the bayou.</p>
+
+<p>“Do you see what the bulldog wants?� Alex.
+asked, in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>“He wants a run on shore,� replied Jule. “He
+wants to get off the boat and do stunts on the grass.
+I’m with him in that, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“He’s pointing to the old house!� Alex. suggested,
+with a grin.</p>
+
+<p>“Good idea!� winked Jule. “Suppose we go
+over to the ranch and see what sort of a place it
+is? We’ll just sneak off after breakfast and be
+back in an hour.�</p>
+
+<p>“Right,� agreed Alex. “We may find a buried
+treasure! Or plunder from the Rock Island warehouse
+may be hidden in some dusty attic! What?
+That sounds like a story of John Paul Jones, out
+of a book!�</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon all we’ll find will be rats,� the practical
+Jule replied. “But I like to ramble over old houses.
+It evidently used to stand on the bank of the river,
+but some washout left it back so far that it was
+deserted. It looks like there might be ghosts hiding
+in it right now! Do you hear anything?� the boy
+added, as he bent his ear toward the neglected mansion,
+sinking to decay now for many a long year.
+“Do you hear anything that sounds uncanny? I
+thought I heard a ghost call!�</p>
+
+<p>“I half believe you mean it!� laughed Alex.
+“I believe you really think you hear something
+ghostly! If I were rich once for every ghost there
+is in the world, I wouldn’t have a cent to my name!
+What does this ghost call sound like?� added the
+boy.</p>
+
+<p>“It sounded like a long, low call for help!� was
+the reply. “I believe all the calls from deserted
+houses are long and low, what?�</p>
+
+<p>“Right you are!� Alex. answered. “Say, what’s
+the matter of taking Captain Joe with us when we
+go to the house? If there’s a ghost behind the casings,
+he’ll be certain to find and bring it out to us!�</p>
+
+<p>“Then I’m strong for Captain Joe!� cried Jule.
+“We’ll bring the perturbed spirit on board and put
+it with our collection of animals! And there’s the
+breakfast call, at last!� he continued, whereat both
+boys rushed into the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>Clay, who had been tinkering around the motors
+for half an hour, entered the cabin before breakfast
+was over, his face looking troubled, his clothing
+smeared with grease.</p>
+
+<p>“I have an idea that we’ll stop here a few days
+until some one goes to one of the towns hereabouts
+and brings back some bolts,� he said. “The motors
+are out of whack, and ought not to be operated in
+the shape they are in.�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll go back to Hickman in the rowboat,� declared
+Case. “I have a notion that I’d like to see
+the town.�</p>
+
+<p>“And row against that current?� asked Alex.
+“I see you doing it!�</p>
+
+<p>“You couldn’t do it in a thousand years!� Jule
+observed.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Case went on, looking at his map of the
+river, “there’s New Madrid, on the Missouri side.
+I might walk up there and back in a day.�</p>
+
+<p>“Up there?� laughed Alex., looking over Case’s
+shoulder. “Why do you say up there? New
+Madrid is north from here, all right, but it is down
+stream, for all that!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, walk down there, then!� Case replied.
+“I want to learn something about that robbery anyway,
+and there may be news of it; besides, a walk
+along the river will be a sort of a picnic. It isn’t
+more than ten or twelve miles to the town.�</p>
+
+<p>“Then you’d better arrange to return to-morrow,�
+Clay advised. “You are not used to such
+long walks. We are in no hurry to go on, for we
+have all the time there is until this time next year!�</p>
+
+<p>So it was finally arranged that Case should walk
+down to New Madrid and get the needed repairs
+for the motors, while the others looked over the
+country which lay about them. When Alex. suggested
+the visit to the deserted house, Clay was anxious
+to become one of the party. He said he had
+had the same idea in his mind ever since seeing the
+old place.</p>
+
+<p>“After Case goes,� Jule suggested, “that would
+leave only Mose and Teddy Bear on board the
+<i>Rambler</i>. I don’t believe it is safe to leave her
+alone.�</p>
+
+<p>“Of course it isn’t,� Clay admitted, “so I’ll remain
+here to-day and visit the old building to-morrow.
+Then you two boys can remain at home.�</p>
+
+<p>Everything being satisfactorily arranged, Alex.
+and Jule started away up the bayou in the rowboat.
+The old basin was full of water, and so there was
+little current, which made it easy rowing. In half
+an hour they were at the foot of an old pier, slanting
+over on weak legs like a tipsy man. It was plain
+that the landing had not been used for commercial
+purposes for a long time.</p>
+
+<p>The boys fastened the boat and ran briskly up the
+rotting footway which led to the enclosure in which
+the old house stood. There was a wilderness of
+trees and shrubs in the enclosure, and the walks,
+which had evidently once been carefully tended,
+were now overgrown with weeds and long grass.
+Lizards darted out of unseen places and sped away
+as the boys advanced along a broken walk which
+led to the front door of the mansion.</p>
+
+<p>At the very threshold the boys paused, listening.
+The ragged blinds were flapping in the breeze, and
+the trees which rimmed the enclosure rustled and
+creaked in a most uncanny way, but these sounds
+were not the ones which brought the adventurous
+boys to a halt.</p>
+
+<p>The noise they heard sounded like the tones of a
+violin, coming from a great distance. The notes,
+faint, sweet, perplexing, rose and fell on the wind,
+now lifting into a weird song, now dropping to the
+softest melody!</p>
+
+<p>“There’s some one here, after all!� Jule suggested,
+though there was a question in the way the
+words were spoken. “Some one lives here? What
+do you think?�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. pointed to the broken door which opened
+into the disordered hall, to the window blinds, beating
+the casings at the will of the wind, and at the
+long grass and weeds growing between the planks
+and stones of the walks.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t believe any one lives here!� he insisted.</p>
+
+<p>“Then what is it making the music?� demanded
+Jule. “If that isn’t some one playing the violin you
+may eat my head for a cabbage!�</p>
+
+<p>They listened again. The sounds stopped directly,
+then there came a banging of doors and a
+rustle, as if some one in trailing clothes was being
+dragged through the hall. Then a shriek which appeared
+to come from directly under the feet of the
+boys cut the air, lifting into a terrifying yell at the
+end. The lads involuntarily started back down the
+path, but both stopped and faced the house again.</p>
+
+<p>“I’m not going away without knowing more
+about it!� Alex. declared.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s the way I look at it!� grinned Jule.
+“We can’t turn tail and run like a couple of
+cowards. I wish we had brought Captain Joe along
+with us!�</p>
+
+<p>“Clay wanted him for company,� Alex. explained.
+“Joe looked like his heart was broken
+when we came off without him! I’ll bet he runs
+away and comes after us!�</p>
+
+<p>Seeing that their automatic revolvers were in
+working order, the boys walked back up the broken
+walk, mounted the steps, and passed into the ancient
+hallway of the mansion. All was ruin and decay
+there. The floor was broken out in places, and there
+were marks of an axe on the casings of the door and
+on the narrow windows beside it.</p>
+
+<p>The stairway leading to the rooms above was
+broken, too, some of the steps being gone entirely.
+The lads stopped at the foot of the steps for an instant
+to gaze upward and then turned into a lofty
+room on the left. This must have been the parlor,
+and the apartment beyond it must have been the
+library.</p>
+
+<p>The furniture, which had once been valuable, was
+broken into bits, and a charred spot on the floor
+showed where a fire had been kindled. The rooms
+on that floor were all desolate and dismantled, and
+the boys soon turned their attention to those above
+the ruined staircase.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had they gained the head of the stairs
+when the music began again. It seemed to come
+down the wide hallway which ran nearly through
+the house parallel with the front.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re getting nearer to the band!� Jule whispered.</p>
+
+<p>There was such a hush over the place, such a
+weird, uncanny atmosphere, that, somehow, the boys
+did not feel like being loud-voiced or boisterous.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll be running into a reception committee
+next!� Alex. returned.</p>
+
+<p>The music continued for a few seconds, then
+ended in a repetition of the dragging, rustling sound
+and the shriek which had been heard before. This
+time the noise indicating physical motion appeared
+to come from the very hallway where the boys were
+standing!</p>
+
+<p>Alex. and Jule continued on through the hall
+until they came to a partition which shut off the
+north end of it. There was a door in this partition,
+but it was locked. At first all the efforts of the lads
+failed to budge it.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s one part of the ranch that hasn’t rotted
+away,� Alex. observed, as red-faced and perspiring,
+he paused in his attack on the door.</p>
+
+<p>“That shows there’s some one taking care of it,�
+Jule decided. “Suppose we try the door once more?
+It ought to give way before our weight.�</p>
+
+<p>They both threw their shoulders against the upper
+panels and they dropped back, revealing a small
+room which had the appearance of having recently
+been occupied. There was a wide fireplace at the
+back of the room, which was at the end of the house,
+and a chair standing near the hearth was softly
+cushioned. There was a window on each side of the
+fireplace, but the curtains were drawn so all the details
+of the apartment were not visible. The boys
+drew back for an instant.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re breaking into some one’s house!� Jule
+whispered.</p>
+
+<p>“I guess that’s right!� Alex. returned. “What
+ought we to do now?�</p>
+
+<p>“Keep right on until we get at the solution of
+the mystery,� Jule answered. “It may be that we
+shall find a maiden in distress, and——�</p>
+
+<p>The boy stopped in the midst of his light-hearted
+speech and looked again through the broken panels
+of the door at the end of the hall. What he saw was
+a side door opening.</p>
+
+<p>As the door swung back an old man, white haired
+and walking with a stout cane, came into the room
+and sat down in the chair by the hearth. Then,
+without glancing toward the broken panels and the
+boys beyond, he spoke:</p>
+
+<p>“The door is not fastened, boys. You are welcome
+to enter.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys entered, feeling ashamed and half
+afraid, and the old man pointed to two chairs by the
+hearth which had not been seen through the broken
+door.</p>
+
+<p>“Sit down!� he said, almost with an air of command,
+“and tell me why you are here.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys sank down into the chairs; then there
+came a sharp click, and they felt themselves falling
+through the floor!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink05'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER V—A NEW CAPTAIN ON BOARD</a></h2>
+
+<p>Clay continued his work on the motors for a
+long time after the departure of Alex. and Jule.
+It was impossible to make them work with safety
+without the repairs Case had gone after, but the
+boy decided that the present would be a fine time to
+clean them.</p>
+
+<p>While he worked, polishing and oiling, Mose and
+Teddy came out of the cabin arm-in-arm! At least
+the little negro boy had one arm around the cub’s
+neck!</p>
+
+<p>“You’ve got over your scare, eh?� Clay laughed,
+as the two came to his side.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah sure tu’n white las’ night!� Mose declared,
+rolling his eyes until they looked like white billiard
+balls. “Ah’s so scared!�</p>
+
+<p>“You are black enough this morning,� Clay suggested.
+“Where did you come from?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah done come f’m San Louee,� was the reply.
+“Ah lib on de levee.�</p>
+
+<p>“Did you run away from St. Louis?� asked
+Clay. “Did you come all the way from the levee
+on the roof Alex. fished you off from?�</p>
+
+<p>Mose, still playing with the cub, explained that he
+had sneaked on board a steamer at St. Louis, but
+had been put ashore at a landing above Cairo by the
+mate. Then, so great had been his desire to get
+farther south for the winter, he had taken a drifting
+boat and pushed out into the swollen stream.</p>
+
+<p>The boat had been crushed in a mass of wreckage,
+but the boy had managed to crawl up on the floating
+roof where he had been found. The mammy he had
+spoken of as having been so liberal with him in the
+bestowal of names was an old colored lady who
+had given him a place to sleep on cold nights and
+occasionally fed him when he was hungry. He
+knew nothing of his parents or any relatives. He
+was just a levee waif.</p>
+
+<p>After a time Clay went to the cabin and lay on his
+bunk, which let down from the ceiling, being usually
+drawn up during the daytime. The motors were
+still under process of cleaning, and various parts lay
+scattered about.</p>
+
+<p>Presently the boy heard a great racket on deck.
+Captain Joe’s deep voice came in threatening growls,
+and Mose and Teddy scampered into the cabin.
+Clay sprang to his feet and made for the deck, not
+doubting that Alex. and Jule had returned and were
+up to some mischief. Before he reached the door
+he heard the sound of a heavy blow.</p>
+
+<p>He could see no one through the doorway, which
+Mose had left open, although most of the deck was
+in sight, yet the blow he had heard warned him that
+something out of the ordinary was taking place.
+He stepped back to a shelf for his revolver.</p>
+
+<p>He knew that during floods bands of outlaws
+frequented the river in quest of plunder, and it was
+his first impression that one of these had discovered
+the motor boat and was trying to board her. He
+wondered at the silence of the dog.</p>
+
+<p>As the boy reached for his weapon, a gruff voice
+from the cabin doorway commanded him to face
+about and hold up his hands.</p>
+
+<p>“And hold ’em up empty, too!� the gruff voice
+said.</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing for Clay to do but to obey.
+It was with an effort, however, that he kept his
+arms extended. The leering eyes of the man with
+the face of a fox who stood before him with a revolver
+pushed almost into his face caused such hot
+surges of rage to fill the boy’s brain that he came
+near facing the peril and springing upon the outlaw.</p>
+
+<p>Mose, levee bred and wise to the unlawful purpose
+of the intruder, moved stealthily toward the
+shelf where Clay’s revolver lay, in plain sight. In
+another second it would have been in the little fellow’s
+hand, with what result Clay could not imagine,
+but the outlaw saw the movement and edged
+forward, still keeping the revolver leveled at Clay,
+much to the latter’s disgust.</p>
+
+<p>“Here, you coon!� the man shouted, “get over
+in that corner and stay there! Move, or I’ll give you
+a lift!�</p>
+
+<p>The brute gave Mose a savage kick in the side as
+he spoke. It was one thing for Clay to be placed in
+a humiliating position, to be threatened with a gun,
+but it was quite another for him to stand inactive
+and see a boy brutally treated! Disregarding all
+his thoughts of the uselessness of the move, the boy
+sprang at the outlaw.</p>
+
+<p>Although only a boy, Clay was muscular and in
+training. The man he had attacked was stronger
+and heavier than the lad, but he was slower of movement,
+and the result of the conflict might have been
+a victory for Clay if the two had been permitted to
+continue the struggle unmolested.</p>
+
+<p>While the meager furniture of the little cabin was
+being broken and tossed hither and yon by the
+combatants, while Teddy was jumping about, eager
+to get hold of one of the fighters—as he had been
+taught to do when the boys were wrestling—and
+while Mose was doing his best to get over to the
+shelf where the revolver lay, there came a quick
+jar on deck, a jar caused by the bunting of a boat
+against the hull of the <i>Rambler</i>, and then hurrying
+footsteps on the forward deck.</p>
+
+<p>Clay fought all the harder when the sounds
+reached his ears, for he was sure that Alex. and
+Jule had returned, and that short work would now
+be made of the intruder. He was gradually securing
+a hold on his enemy which would have ended the
+battle when he was seized and lifted—by a giant, it
+seemed to him—clear of the cabin deck and held
+there while the outlaw slowly regained his feet and
+picked up his weapon.</p>
+
+<p>Clay saw that it was the other side that had received
+the reinforcements, and motioned to Mose
+to remain quiet and keep out of sight. He feared
+that further activity on the part of the negro boy
+would add to his punishment.</p>
+
+<p>After catching his breath, the outlaw with whom
+Clay had been struggling lifted a pair of bloodshot
+eyes to Clay’s face and sprang at him, his huge fists
+clenched until the knuckles showed hard and white.</p>
+
+<p>“You bum!� he shouted, lunging at the lad,
+“I’ll give you some of your own medicine! What
+do you mean by striking me?�</p>
+
+<p>The blow would have landed squarely in the boy’s
+face, but the man who had picked him off the outlaw
+warded it off with a fist like a ham, and set the
+boy behind the great bulk of his own person. Clay
+was encouraged by this defense, and began hoping
+that he had found a friend instead of another enemy.</p>
+
+<p>But this hope was soon shattered, for the newcomer
+produced a hard cord, which had evidently
+once been used as a fishline, and coolly proceeded to
+tie the boy’s wrists. This task completed to his
+satisfaction, he pushed the boy over on his bunk
+and tossed Mose on top of him.</p>
+
+<p>“There!� he cried. “You keep quiet, or I’ll turn
+Sam loose on you! And, Sam, if you molest the
+boy again I’ll settle with you for it. I take it he
+had a right to fight for his boat! And the little
+coon! You keep your hands off him, too!�</p>
+
+<p>The man called Sam flashed an ugly look out of
+his foxy, inflamed eyes and went out on deck. In a
+moment he was seen in the doorway again, dragging
+Captain Joe after him.</p>
+
+<p>“Shall I pitch the dog overboard?� he asked, in
+a surly tone. “He took a piece out of my leg and
+I gave him a rap on the head. He’s knocked out!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay sat up on the bunk and glared at the man,
+who was still holding the bulldog by the collar. At
+that moment, whatever the consequences, the fellow’s
+life would not have been worth a farthing if
+the boy had had a gun!</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t let him kill the dog!� Clay said, appealing
+to the giant. “He’s a good fellow, that dog!
+Of course he bit that robber! He wouldn’t have
+been a good dog if he hadn’t. Take what you want
+on the boat, but let the dog live.�</p>
+
+<p>The giant, who was at least six foot six inches in
+height and large in proportion, looked Captain Joe
+over after the manner of one acquainted with dogs
+while Clay awaited his decision anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>“The kid is right,� he finally declared. “This is
+a good dog, and we’ll keep him with us. Took a
+piece out of your leg, did he?�</p>
+
+<p>The big fellow placed his hands on his mammoth
+hips, threw back his head until his hairy throat rose
+like a sturdy column of strength, and poured forth
+such a torrent of laughter that Teddy came out of
+the cabin to see what new sport was being prepared
+for his amusement. Sam struck at the cub, but the
+other pushed him away before he had done any mischief.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s a good one!� roared the giant. “Took
+a piece out of your leg, did he? If he ain’t pizened,
+and lives after that, I’ll keep him. There’s a heap
+of pizen snakes down my way that need looking
+after. Took a piece out of your leg! That’s too
+good for anything! Ho! Ho! Ho! Took a piece
+out of your leg!�</p>
+
+<p>“I hope he’ll some day take a piece out of that
+throat of yours!� roared Sam.</p>
+
+<p>“No doubt, no doubt!� replied the giant. “He
+may be a doin’ of it when the hangman is busy puttin’
+a new hemp tie about that weazen of yours!
+Now let the kids and the dog and bear alone, and
+help work the boat out into the current. We’ve got
+to be getting out of this!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll have to put the motors together before
+you move her,� Sam replied.</p>
+
+<p>The giant looked thoughtfully at the scattered
+fragments, then at Clay, still in the bunk, and
+scratched a thatch of red hair which looked like a
+hayrick.</p>
+
+<p>“It seems to need puttin’ together,� he said, beckoning
+to Clay.</p>
+
+<p>Then the boy saw that it was the intention of the
+outlaws to take possession of the <i>Rambler</i> and shift
+her down stream before any of the boys returned.
+He thought of Alex. and Jule, marooned on that
+desolate point of land where the old house stood,
+of Case, trudging back from New Madrid with the
+repairs to find the boat gone!</p>
+
+<p>He glanced about hopelessly, searching the shores
+of the bayou on the faint chance of seeing Alex.
+and Jule returning. Captain Joe was now regaining
+consciousness in the cabin, and Teddy was trying
+to interest him in a boxing match! Mose sat in a
+corner motionless, except that his eyes rolled about
+in anger or panic, the boy could not determine which.</p>
+
+<p>“Well, get the engines together!� ordered the
+giant.</p>
+
+<p>“There are parts missing,� Clay answered.
+“One of the boys has gone to New Madrid for repairs.
+She won’t run a foot without them.�</p>
+
+<p>Sam and the giant conversed together for a moment,
+and then the former called out to Mose, emphasizing
+his words with a threatening gesture:</p>
+
+<p>“Here, coon!� he shouted. “Can you swim?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah sho’ can,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Then jump ashore and take this dog with you.
+If I ever see either of you again I’ll take your hides
+off!�</p>
+
+<p>“It would improve matters to hold ’em under a
+while!� he added, angrily.</p>
+
+<p>“I won’t have it,� the giant returned. “No
+murder for me!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll see what’ll come of lettin’ ’em go!� Sam
+warned.</p>
+
+<p>“Git!� ordered the big fellow, in a not unkind
+tone, and Mose, nothing loth, gathered the dog in
+his arms and leaped into the bayou.</p>
+
+<p>Clay almost held his breath for a moment, until
+he saw that the cold water had revived the dog, and
+that he was swimming. Then his attention was attracted
+to the outlaws, who were, with pole and oar,
+edging the <i>Rambler</i> out into the river.</p>
+
+<p>He believed that the boat would be wrecked the
+moment it, helpless, struck the mass of floodwood
+sweeping down. Presently he felt the push of the
+current, and the boat went whirling down stream,
+tipping from side to side as she spun around, helpless
+in the current.</p>
+
+<p>Then a great tree struck the stern and half capsized
+her. The end seemed at hand.</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink06'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER VI—CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A HIT</a></h2>
+
+<p>While the <i>Rambler</i>, in charge of reckless river
+pirates, was swinging down with the current, threatening
+to capsize every instant, Alex. and Jule sat
+flat on a rotten, yielding floor somewhere in the
+interior of the deserted house, feeling tenderly over
+their limbs to see if they had received severe injuries
+during the fall from the room where they had
+been so inhospitably welcomed by the aged man.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had not fallen far. In fact, it seemed to
+them that they had only slid down a gentle incline to
+the story below. A hatch in the floor in front of the
+hearth had been dropped back, and their chairs had
+slid into a chute which seemed, from its smoothness,
+to be in frequent use.</p>
+
+<p>For a minute the boys were alarmed, excited,
+angry, then the humor of their sudden removal
+from the apartment above appealed to them. Alex.
+was first to speak.</p>
+
+<p>“Vot iss?� he exclaimed. “This must be a page
+of a comic section in one of the Chicago newspapers.
+How many legs and arms have you
+broken?�</p>
+
+<p>“Not a one!� answered Jule. “What kind of
+hospital treatment do you require?�</p>
+
+<p>“If I felt any better,� laughed Alex., “I wouldn’t
+know what to take for it.�</p>
+
+<p>It was dark as pitch where the boys were, and
+they felt about until their hands touched. The personal
+contact gave them new courage.</p>
+
+<p>“What do you make of it?� asked Jule. “This
+doesn’t look good to me!�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ve simply butted in on some other fellow’s
+game,� Alex. replied. “We seem to have visited a
+crank who thinks it best to be prepared in advance
+for unwelcome guests.�</p>
+
+<p>“A moonshiner or a river pirate!� Jule suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s about it!� Alex. answered. “We’ve
+interrupted the industry of a set of illicit whisky
+makers or warehouse thieves. The valley is said to
+swarm with bandits whenever the river is out of its
+banks. Now, the question is how are we going to
+get out and back to the <i>Rambler</i>?�</p>
+
+<p>They did not know that at that moment Clay and
+the motor boat were in a situation far more serious
+than that in which they now found themselves!</p>
+
+<p>“I wish it wasn’t so dark here!� Jule whispered.</p>
+
+<p>“Why the soft pedal?� asked Alex. “We’ve
+got a right to talk as loudly as we like, I take it,
+being alone in a dark old donjon keep!�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s some one in the room with us!� Jule
+explained, in a whisper which barely reached his
+chum’s ears, so faint it was. “I hear him breathing.�</p>
+
+<p>“Hello!� Alex. called out, then. “Hello!
+Come on out an’ be a good fellow!�</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer, and then Alex., reaching
+into a capacious pocket, brought out a small electric
+torch and pushed the button. On board the <i>Rambler</i>
+or on shore, it was a rule of the boys never to
+move about without an electric torch and an automatic
+revolver ready for use.</p>
+
+<p>When the light flashed out, its round circle showed
+only a room twenty feet square in size, with bare
+discolored walls. Plastering hung to broken lath,
+so they knew that they were on the ground floor of
+the deserted house, and not in the cellar. The floor
+was worn, and the rough boards which half protected
+the broken windows showed signs of having
+been long in position. There was no furniture at
+all in the place.</p>
+
+<p>“Looks like we might rip off a board and walk
+out,� Jule said, still speaking in a very low tone of
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t you ever think we’re not watched!� Alex.
+hastened to say. “I don’t know but I made a mistake
+in showing this light.�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s only one way to discover whether we
+are watched or not,� said the other, “and that is to
+try to get away. I’m going after that window.�</p>
+
+<p>As Jule spoke he moved toward a window which
+seemed to open on the bayou, as a gleam of water
+could be seen through the cracks in the window-guard.
+The instant his hand touched a crumbling
+board a voice came out of the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>“I wouldn’t do that, boys!�</p>
+
+<p>That was all. Jule stopped at the uncanny interruption
+with a hand suspended in air, and Alex.
+quickly flashed his light in the direction from which
+the sound had come.</p>
+
+<p>There was no one in sight. Rats or other creeping,
+crawling, things seemed to be working in the
+disreputable walls, for there was a continuous
+scratching noise, but there were no other sounds.
+Alex. shut off the light and sat down on the floor
+again.</p>
+
+<p>“I guess it is no use!� he said. “We’ll have to
+surrender!�</p>
+
+<p>“There will always be someone here to see that
+you don’t get away!� said the voice. “If you make
+any trouble, you won’t get anything to eat! Now,
+be good!�</p>
+
+<p>“You can keep me as gentle as a lamb by feeding
+me right!� Alex. said, with a chuckle which was
+rather forced. “Why don’t you show up?�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll see me soon enough,� the voice went on.
+“In the meantime, don’t show that electric light
+again, and if you have any weapons lay them on the
+floor in this corner.�</p>
+
+<p>“I haven’t any,� lied Alex. “I brought the light
+instead.�</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke the boy nudged Jule, and he, understanding,
+slid his revolver along the floor in the direction
+of the voice. It struck against the wall with
+a metallic thud.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s right!� the voice in the darkness said.
+“Now, you with the light, send it over here. I
+might want to use it!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. slid his torch along the floor. In its progress
+the button was pressed and a round illumination
+sprang up on the wall. Almost in the center
+of this they saw the white hair and beard of the old
+man who had invited them into the room above!</p>
+
+<p>The boys sat for a long time in serious thought
+after that, well knowing that every word uttered
+would be heard by their guardian. Alex. was more
+than hopeful in his views of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>“If these fellows were professionals,� he mused,
+“they wouldn’t take any chances on us not having
+more weapons and more lights. They would make
+sure by searching us! I don’t believe they ever took
+a prisoner before, or that they are very anxious
+about keeping us. I guess we just butted in where
+we’re not wanted, and they’ll let us go after a time.
+Anyway, they’re easy!�</p>
+
+<p>Directly loud noises were heard in the old house,
+and the insecure walls shook under heavy burdens.
+It seemed to the listening lads that huge boxes and
+barrels were being transferred from one room to another.</p>
+
+<p>There were excited voices, too, although no words
+could be understood. It seemed to the two prisoners
+that the old mansion was being deserted, and
+their impression was that the thieves were removing
+their plunder because their hiding-place had been
+intruded upon. In that case, they thought, they
+might soon be released.</p>
+
+<p>After what seemed a whole day, food was pushed
+into the room, and the boys ate heartily of the fresh
+pork sausages, corn pones, and sweet potatoes given
+them.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re all right on the feed!� Alex. called back
+in the direction of the corner where for an instant
+the old man had been seen.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer, but, somehow, the boys
+were convinced that there was some one there in the
+room with them. It does not always require the
+eyes, or the hands, or the ears, or the sense of smell,
+to show one that others are close by.</p>
+
+<p>There is a tingling of the nerves which warns of
+the presence of hostile elements, and this it was
+which showed the prisoners that they were still
+under guard.</p>
+
+<p>That was a long afternoon. For the most part
+there were no sounds in the old house; still, now and
+then, there came the jar of heavy burdens on the
+floors, and the sharp and angry voices of men,
+speaking in a tongue the boys did not understand.</p>
+
+<p>When the cracks in the boards at the windows
+began to darken, they knew that night was falling.
+They thought of the comfortable cabin of the <i>Rambler</i>,
+and of the companionship of the other boys
+with spasms of anger and regret. As the darkness
+became more complete outside, they arose and
+walked up and down the floor of their little room.</p>
+
+<p>“Say, Mister!� Alex. called out to their invisible
+guard, directly, “how many acts are there in
+this drama? When do the persecuted c-h-e-i-l-d-s
+return to their agonized and heart-broken parents?�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m as weary of it as you are!� was the remarkable
+answer, still in that calm voice they had heard
+before.</p>
+
+<p>“Then why don’t you cut it out?� asked Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“There are men in the party who advise that,�
+was the significant answer. “They are at present
+discussing your fate. Many declare that it is not
+wise to permit you to leave the place! I’m sorry for
+you, but you had no right to snoop in here!�</p>
+
+<p>“Next time,� Alex. replied, “you hoist a piracy
+flag, and we’ll keep away.�</p>
+
+<p>“When will this strategy board you refer to make
+a report?� asked Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“I may receive orders at any moment,� was the
+answer.</p>
+
+<p>Silence followed. There were crunchings and
+chatterings, in the walls where rodents were busy
+making nests, but no sound of human action. In the
+long wait the boys heard a low, inquisitive sniff!</p>
+
+<p>Alex. drew Jule’s head over to him and whispered
+in his ear:</p>
+
+<p>“That’s Captain Joe, for a dollar and a half!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re on!� Jule responded. “I’ll be glad to
+lose the bet at that, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“I guess I know that inquisitive snort!� Alex.
+went on. “Besides, I told you that the dog would
+find some way to get to us!�</p>
+
+<p>“Aw, Clay sent him!� declared Jule. “He
+never found his way here alone.�</p>
+
+<p>“The boys may be with him,� Alex. suggested, as
+the sound came again. “I hope he won’t make
+enough noise to disturb his nibs, over in the corner.
+Good old dog!�</p>
+
+<p>After a time they heard the patter of the dog’s
+feet, and then the guard whistled softly, as if attempting
+to make friends with whatever animal
+was approaching.</p>
+
+<p>“Come here, you foolish dog!� he said. “Why
+don’t you come in out of the dark?�</p>
+
+<p>The pat-pat of the dog’s soft feet came nearer,
+and the guard spoke again:</p>
+
+<p>“How the Old Harry did you get in here?� he
+demanded. “Whose dog are you, anyway?�</p>
+
+<p>The dog growled and there came a flash of light.
+The guard, becoming afraid of this thing which had
+found its way into a room supposed to be secure
+from intrusion, and had switched on the electric.</p>
+
+<p>The light revealed the two prisoners, grouped
+together in the middle of the room, the old man,
+standing with weapon extended and with staring
+eyes, Captain Joe all ready for a spring, an open
+window, and, lastly, the black face of Mose overlooking
+the scene with eyes which seemed too large
+for his head!</p>
+
+<p>“Get him, Joe!� cried both boys in unison.</p>
+
+<p>The light dropped as the dog leaped, and a revolver
+clattered to the floor. Alex. had hold of the
+dog in an instant, his other hand reaching for the
+rolling flashlight.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t eat him up, Joe!� the boy said, tearing
+the dog away from the fallen man. Captain Joe
+fell away with a sullen growl.</p>
+
+<p>“The brute has bitten my arm!� the old man
+moaned.</p>
+
+<p>“If you remain quiet,� Alex. said, “you won’t
+have any more wounds to complain of. We’ll just
+tie you up and get out! After we are gone some
+one will come and let you out. What sort of a place
+is this, anyway?�</p>
+
+<p>The old man groaned and made no reply, so the
+boys secured him and crept out of the window into
+the darkness.</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink07'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER VII—SEARCHING FOR THE <i>RAMBLER</i></a></h2>
+
+<p>Case found the walking fairly good and reached
+New Madrid shortly before noon, having started
+about 8 o’clock. He procured the supplies for which
+he had been sent and then sought the hotel and partook
+of an excellent dinner.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� he thought, “shall I walk back to the
+<i>Rambler</i> to-night, or shall I remain here and look
+over the town?�</p>
+
+<p>The question was soon decided, for all there was
+of the town could be seen in a very short time. At
+1 o’clock he started back to the motor boat. At 5
+o’clock, just as the sun was setting, he came to the
+bayou where the <i>Rambler</i> had been anchored.</p>
+
+<p>There was no boat there. The night was falling
+fast, and the bayou and the river were dimly seen
+through a slight mist. The boy stood on the bank
+of the bayou for a long time, studying the situation.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s something wrong!� he decided. “The
+motors could never have been forced into motion
+with the parts missing! The boys would never
+attempt to drift down, for the river is still filled with
+drifting timbers and wrecks of houses and barns.</p>
+
+<p>“And even if they should have decided to change
+locations, notwithstanding the peril of the undertaking,
+they would never have gone away without
+leaving some one here to notify me of the new position!�</p>
+
+<p>Passing on up the bank of the bayou, searching
+for some sign in the darkness, Case finally came
+upon the rowboat which Alex. and Jule had left
+half concealed in a tangle of bushes in a little bay.
+Before him, then, lay the old house, dim in the
+night. He had heard the boys talk of visiting the
+place, and at once concluded that they were there.</p>
+
+<p>He looked over the structure for lights, but saw
+none. Then he listened, catching in time the sounds
+which the two boys had noted. He crouched down
+in a patch of shrubbery and waited, listening for
+some indication of the presence of his chums.</p>
+
+<p>Directly he heard a shrill scream of fright, then
+the bushes between his hiding-place and the house
+were shaken violently, and a small figure darted out,
+running at top speed and sending a scream into the
+night at every jump!</p>
+
+<p>“If that isn’t Mose,� Case thought, “then there
+are two young negroes with most extraordinary
+calliope possibilities! He runs like the Old Scratch
+was after him, and has plenty of wind left to tell
+how scared he is!� he added.</p>
+
+<p>The small figure came smashing through the
+shrubbery and finally landed in the thicket where
+Case had secreted himself. Here he stumbled over
+a trailing vine and fell forward on his face. Before
+he could regain his feet Case had him by the arm.</p>
+
+<p>“Mose!� he said. “Keep quiet! You’ll have
+all the pirates in the state steering in this direction!
+What is the matter?�</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd’s sake leave dis nigger go!� wailed
+Mose. “Dar’s ghostes in dat ol’ house, an’ dey’s
+got de boys!�</p>
+
+<p>“Are the boys in there?� demanded Case, giving
+the frightened lad a gentle shake to bring him back
+to his senses. “Where is the <i>Rambler</i>?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah don’ know!� gasped the little negro.
+“Piruts don’ got de boat, an’ dem ghostes don’ ’pear
+fo’ dis nigger!�</p>
+
+<p>“If you don’t brace up and tell me what’s going
+on,� Case declared, “I’ll throw you in the river.
+Where are the boys?�</p>
+
+<p>Before Mose could reply Captain Joe came dashing
+through the bushes. He stopped by Case’s side
+and lay down, trembling with excitement.</p>
+
+<p>“If the dog could talk he would tell me what’s
+going on,� Case said, reprovingly, to the negro.
+“Where have you two been?�</p>
+
+<p>Mose, evidently encouraged by the presence of the
+dog, told haltingly of the attack on the <i>Rambler</i>
+that morning, of his being thrown overboard, with
+the dog, of his day of wandering, hungry and afraid,
+about the old place, and of Captain Joe following
+the tracks of the boys to the entrance to the house.</p>
+
+<p>He said that he had lain in hiding, afraid to enter,
+and had kept the dog quiet until it began to get dark,
+when he had followed Captain Joe to a window from
+which the sound of voices had issued. The dog had
+leaped in, after he had pulled away the rotten board,
+he said, and there he had seen Alex. and Jule, enveloped
+in a ghostly light, with a white ghost struggling
+with the dog!</p>
+
+<p>The story was told with many sidelong glances at
+the shadows which lay heavy on the landscape, for
+a moon was now struggling through drifting banks
+of clouds.</p>
+
+<p>As the boy concluded his story, often delayed by
+his fright, another commotion came from the
+grounds nearer the old house. Lights flashed from
+the windows and pistol shots were heard. Getting
+one sniff of the acrid smell of powder, Mose leaped
+to his feet and bounded away again. Captain Joe
+lifted his nose, wrinkled it in derision, and rose to
+meet two figures which were pounding down the
+broken walk toward the bayou.</p>
+
+<p>“Alex.! Jule!� called Case. “What’s doing?�</p>
+
+<p>“Get a move on!� panted Alex. “Get to the
+boat! Where did that little coon go?�</p>
+
+<p>“He must be somewhere near the Rocky
+Mountains by this time,� Case replied, falling into the
+fast pace set by the other boys.</p>
+
+<p>Very soon there were sounds of running feet behind
+them, and the lads redoubled their efforts to
+reach the boat before any one else could get to it.
+Now and then a bullet cut the air close to their ears,
+but they were not struck.</p>
+
+<p>When they came to the edge of the bayou, Mose
+had the boat out a rod from shore, and was doing
+his best to row it across with one oar. The boys
+did not wait for him to return to the bank, but
+plunged into the water and waded and swam out,
+Alex., the last one in, giving the craft a vigorous
+shove as he crawled over the stern.</p>
+
+<p>Without loss of a minute’s time Alex. and Case
+took the oars and Jule seized the helm. They were
+soon proceeding down the bayou at a rapid rate of
+speed, but, fast as they were going, others were
+moving faster along the bank.</p>
+
+<p>“Come back or we’ll fill you full of air holes!�
+shouted one of the pursuers.</p>
+
+<p>The boys might have been forced to return to the
+shore only for the fact that at that moment the
+moon’s face was hidden by a mass of clouds. Taking
+advantage of this, and sitting as low in the boat
+as possible in order to avoid the bullets which were
+coming in their direction, the boys made for the
+mouth of the blind channel, and soon felt the push
+of the current of the Mississippi.</p>
+
+<p>Before long the sounds of pursuit died out. The
+old mansion, which stood on the point of land between
+the river and the bayou, was now in darkness.
+When the moon came out again it stood silent and
+solitary in its neglected enclosure. It seemed to
+the lads that everything that had taken place there
+must be a dream!</p>
+
+<p>“Now where?� Jule asked, as the boat passed a
+bend and the house was no longer in sight. “Do we
+know where we are going, any of us?�</p>
+
+<p>“Where is the <i>Rambler</i>?� demanded Alex.
+“We ought to have reached it long ago.�</p>
+
+<p>Then, briefly, Case repeated the story told by
+Mose of the capture of the motor boat. There was
+silence for a moment, for the boys recognized the
+seriousness of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>There was little doubt in their minds that the
+<i>Rambler</i> would be wrecked. No boat could drift
+down that surging river, cluttered with driftwood
+as it was, without meeting with disaster. And Clay
+was on board, bound, and helpless in case the worst
+happened!</p>
+
+<p>“So that is how Mose and Captain Joe happened
+to come to the rescue,� Alex. said. “The pirate
+threw them off the <i>Rambler</i>! Well, he did a good
+job when he did it, anyway! But how that coon
+did run when we made for the window he had
+opened!�</p>
+
+<p>Mose, nestled in the bottom of the boat, stroking
+Captain Joe’s wet head, grinned and declared that
+the boys had looked like ghosts.</p>
+
+<p>“It is a wonder the boy and the dog were not discovered
+in the grounds!� Jule remarked. “I don’t
+see how they came to keep out of sight!�</p>
+
+<p>“I can tell you!� Case put in. “Mose was so
+afraid that the pirates would come and get him that
+he lay in the bushes with his face in the dead leaves!
+Is that right, Mose?� he asked.</p>
+
+<p>Mose had to admit that he was “sho’ scared
+white,� and Captain Joe tried to explain, in perfectly
+good dog talk, that he wasn’t frightened a bit, but
+only lay by Mose to help keep his courage up!</p>
+
+<p>“Well, boys,� Alex. said in a moment, “we’ve
+got to study out some plan to get to Clay. We can’t
+dodge the issue by talking of something else. What
+shall we do?�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m for going on down the river,� Alex. continued.
+“The pirates can’t run the <i>Rambler</i> up
+stream, and so we must find her if we keep on
+going.�</p>
+
+<p>“But she has nearly ten hours the start of us,�
+urged Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t think they will go far, as it is risky
+drifting a boat down now. They will probably go
+far enough to get out of the zone of pursuit and then
+tie up, if the boat isn’t wrecked before that,� he
+added, gravely.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s good judgment!� Case declared.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re lucky if we don’t get wrecked ourselves,�
+Jule declared, swinging the boat about to avoid a
+mass of wreckage which lay before her. “When
+we come to the bend just ahead we’re likely to be
+pushed over to the other shore. See how the current
+sets that way? We’ll have to go some to beat
+it!�</p>
+
+<p>The current was indeed swift and treacherous. It
+swept toward the east shore with almost resistless
+force, and the rowboat was like an eggshell in its
+grasp.</p>
+
+<p>“Look out for the log ahead!� cried Jule, as the
+boat swirled around.</p>
+
+<p>But there was more than one log ahead. It
+seemed that a whole drive of logs, or timbers, had
+been caught by the flood and whirled down stream.
+The boys backed water, and Jule did all he could to
+keep out of the mass, but the current was remorseless.</p>
+
+<p>The boat struck a great timber and the force of
+the shock and the cracking sound which followed
+told of an injury to the craft. Mose stood up in the
+boat, for water was now coming in!</p>
+
+<p>“This seems to be our good-luck night!� Case
+grumbled, in a sarcastic tone, as the boat lurched
+against a great log and came near tipping over.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s a raft ahead, anyway!� shouted Jule.
+“We can ride down on that!�</p>
+
+<p>“Until it takes a notion to dump us into the
+drink!� complained Case.</p>
+
+<p>The boat filled fast, and Captain Joe mounted the
+prow and looked longingly toward the bobbing timber
+raft just ahead. From the raft he looked back
+to the boys.</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon the dog has more sense than we have!�
+Alex. exclaimed. “We’ll have to take to the raft,
+all right, so here goes.�</p>
+
+<p>“Wait for a bit of light!� urged Case. “The
+moon will be out in a second.�</p>
+
+<p>In the darkness which followed the boys could
+feel the water rising in the boat. The current was
+pressing the craft down against the timber raft, and
+the creaking of the hull proclaimed a badly wrecked
+boat.</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� Case called out, “one of you boys get out
+a light. We’ve got to make a jump right soon.
+This is some adventure! What?�</p>
+
+<p>Jule reached for his electric, but Alex. caught his
+arm.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s a light on the Missouri bank,� he said,
+“and it looks to me like the cabin windows of the
+<i>Rambler</i> were sending it out. Lay low in the dark
+and drift with the raft!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink08'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER VIII—FACES AT THE WINDOW</a></h2>
+
+<p>“Look here, Red,� the outlaw who had been
+called Sam said, addressing the giant, as the <i>Rambler</i>
+struck the half-submerged tree, “we’ve got up
+against something hard!�</p>
+
+<p>“We never should have put out into the river!�
+retorted Red. “A few more bumps like that, and
+to the fishes we go! Get a pole out, and see if you
+can push away from that consarned tree. Then
+we’ll soon get to shore.�</p>
+
+<p>Sam went into the cabin, where Clay sat, side by
+side with the bear cub, on a bunk.</p>
+
+<p>“Where’s your river pole?� he demanded.
+“You must have something of the kind!�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s one in hooks at the side of the cabin,�
+replied the boy. “If you’ll cut this cord I’ll help
+you get out of the current.�</p>
+
+<p>Sam leered savagely at the boy for a moment,
+picked up the revolver which lay on the floor not far
+away, put it into a pocket, and then severed the cord.</p>
+
+<p>“Mind you,� he said, as Clay sprang for the pole,
+“if you try any tricks on us we’ll chuck you to the
+fish!�</p>
+
+<p>Without paying much attention to the threat, Clay
+grasped the pole and ran to the prow, which was now
+entangled in a wilderness of branches springing from
+the bole of the tree the boat had struck. The boy’s
+strength was insufficient, and Red came to his assistance.
+Both pried and pushed, but it seemed impossible
+to back the boat against the sweep of the
+current.</p>
+
+<p>As if to make matters worse, a long timber lodged
+against the stern and added its weight to that of the
+motor boat and the running water. Sam stood looking
+on with a cynical smile on his hard face.</p>
+
+<p>“You never can do it,� he finally declared.
+“We’ll have to let the boat drift down in company
+with the tree. Just our luck to strike such a snag!�</p>
+
+<p>“If that limb wasn’t in the way,� Red asserted,
+“we could get the boat out. It binds on the side of
+the cabin.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay hastened into the cabin and soon returned to
+the prow with an axe. Both men eyed him sharply
+as he came forward with the keen-edged implement.</p>
+
+<p>“You know what I told you!� Sam shouted,
+stepping toward the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“Let him alone!� commanded Red. “I reckon
+the kid knows what he is about!�</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� Clay explained, addressing the big fellow,
+who seemed more inclined to be friendly than
+his companion, “if you’ll stand ready with the pole,
+I’ll get over on the trunk and cut that limb away.
+Then we can edge over to the shore.�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, yes!� sneered Sam. “We let you off on
+the tree, and you go on down and call out the police
+at the first landing. Not for your uncle!�</p>
+
+<p>“Go on,� shouted Red, to Clay. “I’ll steady you
+with the pole, and when the limb is off you give it
+a poke and come on board. Will you do that?�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure!� answered the boy. “I have no intention
+of going off and leaving the <i>Rambler</i>! Hand
+me the axe when I get down on the trunk, will
+you?�</p>
+
+<p>Without waiting for any further conversation,
+which was difficult because of the roaring of the
+river, Clay crept over the gunwale and landed on
+the tree, which sank lower under his weight. Then
+he reached for the axe, which Red promptly passed
+to him.</p>
+
+<p>“I wouldn’t get down on that tree for a thousand
+dollars!� cried Sam. “If he don’t time himself
+to a second, he’ll get knocked into a cocked hat
+by the boat when she swings loose! I’m not stuck
+on taking any such chances.�</p>
+
+<p>“That is some kid!� Red exclaimed, admiringly,
+as Clay chopped away at the limb. “I wish we had
+him with us!�</p>
+
+<p>“You want to look out for him!� Sam cautioned.
+“He may prove to be too much of a kid for both of
+us, but I’ve got him covered, so if he tries to——�</p>
+
+<p>The limb dropped away after a few strokes with
+the axe, and the boat righted and swung against the
+trunk. The swaying of the trunk upon which Clay
+stood threw him into the water, but he clung to the
+tree and tried to work back to the boat. Sam lifted
+the pole to strike his unprotected head.</p>
+
+<p>“May as well get rid of him now,� he declared,
+with an ugly oath.</p>
+
+<p>Red struck the would-be murderer a savage blow
+in the face and reached down to assist the boy to the
+deck. For a moment it seemed that both of them
+must be drawn under the boat, but the big fellow’s
+strength won, and Clay was hauled, dripping and
+exhausted, up on deck. Sam eyed him malevolently
+and snarled.</p>
+
+<p>“It will come some time!�</p>
+
+<p>Red pushed the boy toward the cabin, the look
+on his face friendlier than ever.</p>
+
+<p>“Go and get into dry clothes,� he said. “Never
+mind what Sam says! He means all right, only he
+don’t know how to express himself!�</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Rambler</i> now swung off toward the shore,
+and Red and Sam were kept busy working wreckage
+out of her course. They snarled at each other
+as they worked, and Clay was in constant fear that
+Sam would play some treacherous trick on the big
+fellow in return for the blow he had received. The
+marks of the short encounter were still on his face.</p>
+
+<p>Much to his relief, the <i>Rambler</i> was edged into
+calmer water next to the Missouri shore. He had
+no idea at that time, even, that he would lose the
+boat. He did not know what had become of his
+chums, but he believed that in some way they would
+be able to come to his rescue. They had never failed
+him.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Rambler</i> drifted down for some distance,
+leaking a little but not seriously, and was finally
+worked into a little bay where there was no current.</p>
+
+<p>That was a long day for the boy. Several boats
+passed up and down on the river, and relief parties
+searching for flood victims were frequently seen, but
+Red always announced that they were in no trouble
+whatever when questioned.</p>
+
+<p>Clay was not bound again, but was kept in the
+cabin, with the door closed. He could hear calls
+from passing boats, but did not dare make the situation
+known.</p>
+
+<p>During the day the outlaws devoured what cooked
+food there was in the cabin and gave some to the
+boy. Once Sam lay down for a short nap. Red
+was not communicative, and refused to answer any
+questions as to his intentions regarding the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>A fine mist came down as the night shut in, but
+presently the moon came out, and the outlaws began
+discussing the advisability of proceeding on down
+the river.</p>
+
+<p>“We can get to our landing,� Sam insisted.
+“Once there, we can get into the bayou back of the
+island, where no one will think of looking for us.
+We must get the boat out of sight,� he went on,
+“before reports of her capture spread along the
+river. Besides, the boys will be waiting for us at
+the shanty.�</p>
+
+<p>“All right,� Red finally agreed. “I’m willing
+to take my chance on being smashed flat by a tree or
+floating barn.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay listened to the talk with interest. Somehow
+he began to recognize the voice of the big fellow!
+Where had he heard it before? Then, like a flash,
+the memory came to him! The man had talked
+with him from the river at Cairo! There is where
+he had heard the voice!</p>
+
+<p>At that time the big fellow had been pleading for
+the safety of a waif who had come on board the
+<i>Rambler</i>! Both the man and the waif had disappeared
+when the officers had come on board. Clay
+wondered where the boy was, and why this outlaw
+had taken an interest in him. The man appeared to
+be kind, though his appearance and his modes of life
+were against him. It was all a deep mystery to the
+boy.</p>
+
+<p>However, the giant’s defense of himself, when
+Sam would have mistreated and, perhaps, murdered
+him, led Clay to believe that he was not wholly
+depraved. There might be some powerful motive for
+his adopting the life of a river outlaw.</p>
+
+<p>The boy resolved, at the first opportunity, to question
+Red regarding the fate of the lad who had so
+suddenly disappeared from the boat that night.
+He now saw that the willingness of his companions
+and himself to aid the waif had led to good results,
+for it was this willingness which had undoubtedly
+caused the giant to stand between him and injury or
+even death. His little loaf of bread cast on the
+waters had returned to good purpose!</p>
+
+<p>Sam seized the pole, as soon as Red agreed to his
+proposition to make their way down the river without
+delay, and began working the <i>Rambler</i> out into
+the current.</p>
+
+<p>“Better wait until that mess of wreckage passes!�
+Red advised, as a crush of floating timbers made its
+appearance under the moonlight. “If we get into
+that bunch we’ll never get out again. It will go by
+in a few moments.�</p>
+
+<p>Sam stood looking at the mass with a frown on
+his sullen face. He was anxious to be away for
+more reasons than one. The boat had undoubtedly
+been reported seized long before this, and every
+craft passing up or down would soon be looking for
+her. His idea was that the lads who had left the
+boat would soon return and report the disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>He did not know, of course, that Case was at New
+Madrid, or on the way there, when they had attacked
+Clay, nor did he suspect that Alex. and Jule had
+fallen into the hands of a band of bandits in every
+way as desperate and unscrupulous as that to which
+he belonged.</p>
+
+<p>But, aside from the question of safety, there was
+another matter he wished brought to a conclusion.
+He had been assaulted by Red, and was raging for
+revenge. Once in the company of his lawless fellows,
+his revenge might be gained!</p>
+
+<p>“There is some one on that wreckage,� the watchful
+Sam finally declared. “I saw a movement there.
+Good thing we are not near enough to be asked for
+help.�</p>
+
+<p>Red looked at the floating raft and shook his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>“There is a boat lodged against the mess,� he
+said, “but there’s no one on board her, and there’s
+no one on the raft, either.�</p>
+
+<p>The light of the moon was now shut out by a
+drive of clouds, and the two men waited for a clear
+sky again. When the raft was revealed they saw a
+white bulldog running up and down across the timbers!</p>
+
+<p>“That’s the brute I pitched overboard up in the
+bayou!� cried Sam. “I wish I had knocked him on
+the head. Some of those boys are not far off.�</p>
+
+<p>Red laughed at the idea of the boys being there,
+But Clay, listening with every faculty awake, had a
+different notion of the capabilities of his chums.</p>
+
+<p>“If Captain Joe is there,� the boy mused, his
+heart bounding with hope, “the boys are not far off!
+Anyway, I’ll give them a chance to see the old boat
+once more!� he continued, reaching out and turning
+on the cabin lights.</p>
+
+<p>Sam uttered a fierce oath as the lights flashed out
+on the rushing water, and made for the cabin, but
+Red caught him by the arm and faced him around.</p>
+
+<p>“Look here!� he snarled, “if you go to making
+trouble for that boy I’ll send your worthless hulk
+bobbing down to the Gulf! The lights won’t hurt!
+We don’t have to answer any calls for help that may
+come. Now, edge her out into the current and leave
+the boy to me. There’s no sense in beating up the
+kid!�</p>
+
+<p>With a word of warning to Clay, not unkindly
+spoken, Red switched off the cabin lights, and then
+went to assist Sam in getting the <i>Rambler</i> out into
+the stream. Clay heard them saying that the raft
+was, after all, empty of life except for the dog.</p>
+
+<p>“The boat lodged against it seems to be broken,�
+Red said, and Clay’s heart went into his throat again.
+He feared that the boys had been caught in wreckage
+and drowned. The presence of the dog
+showed that they had been with the broken boat, he
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>Then, while the two men worked frantically in
+front, Clay heard the window leading to the cabin
+from the stern deck cautiously pushed aside, and
+then the faces of Alex. and Case appeared at the
+opening!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink09'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER IX—RED DECLINES TO TALK</a></h2>
+
+<p>In a moment the ray of moonlight slanting
+through the west window of the cabin was cut off
+by a floating cloud, and the faces of the two boys
+passed out of view. Their voices, however, came to
+Clay, enquiringly.</p>
+
+<p>“Are you all right?� Alex. asked.</p>
+
+<p>“Have you got any dry guns in there?� was
+Case’s question.</p>
+
+<p>Clay answered both questions in a whispered
+affirmative and moved softly toward the window.
+It was necessary that some definite plan of action
+should be agreed upon, for the lads’ presence there
+might be discovered at any time.</p>
+
+<p>“Is Jule there?� whispered Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re all in this neighborhood!� snickered
+Alex., “including Mose, Teddy and Captain Joe!
+We came down the river in a busted boat and on a
+poor raft! We should have passed the <i>Rambler</i>
+only for the flash of lights in the cabin. What
+next?�</p>
+
+<p>“First,� Clay answered, “I’ll get the reserve
+weapons. One of the outlaws has my gun, but the
+others are in the lower drawer of the cupboard.
+I’ve been trying to get at them for a long time, but
+this is the first time, since I was set free of bonds,
+that the men have been too busy to notice me.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay crawled to the cupboard and secured three
+revolvers, held as a reserve stock.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� he directed, “you boys get through the
+window while the ruffians are busy and the moon is
+out of business.�</p>
+
+<p>As the boys wiggled their way through the small
+opening, Teddy began uttering growls of joy and
+welcome. He pranced about the cabin, too, in spite
+of all Clay could do to restrain him, tipping over
+chairs and rattling the dishes in a great pan on the
+floor, where the pirates had left them after their
+luncheon.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as if to add to the perplexities of the
+situation, the clouds which veiled the moon drifted
+away, and a slant of light shone full on the little
+stern deck, and on the figures grouped there. Case
+and Jule pulled themselves through into the cabin,
+but Alex. was left crouching on the outside. Clay
+passed him a revolver, and started to close the window.</p>
+
+<p>At that moment, attracted by the unusual commotion
+on the inside, Sam lurched to the door and
+looked through the glass panel. He saw Clay at the
+window, and caught sight of a figure outside and
+called out to Red, who was still busy at the prow,
+trying to keep the boat out of a mass of wreckage
+which was coming down faster than the boat was
+going for the reason that it was farther out in the
+current.</p>
+
+<p>Almost before Red could turn around, before his
+brain could grasp the significance of Sam’s warning
+shout, Clay swung the door open and turned the
+switch which operated the prow light. In an instant
+the deck of the <i>Rambler</i> was as light as it had ever
+been at noon. The cabin was still in darkness, save
+for the light which came through the glass panel of
+the door.</p>
+
+<p>The hands of both outlaws swung to their hips as
+the light flashed out, but did not bring forth the
+weapons carried there. Instead, they came up
+empty and were pushed out straight and held there.
+It was Clay who had given the order to keep hands
+out.</p>
+
+<p>Clay advanced along the unsteady deck to Sam
+and held his gun within an inch of his crooked nose,
+at the same time calling to Case to come and relieve
+the outlaw of his weapons.</p>
+
+<p>Sam’s looks would have committed murder, if
+savage eyes and revengeful frowns could have done
+so, when the weapons were taken from him. Glancing
+hastily at Red, Clay thought he saw an amused
+smile lurking in the giant’s eyes.</p>
+
+<p>“Now, Sam,� Clay said, “we’ve got to repair the
+motors and get the <i>Rambler</i> out of this ruck, where
+the leak can be repaired, so we’ve got no time to
+waste guarding a skunk like you. You would have
+murdered me if Red hadn’t interfered, but I’m going
+to give you a chance for your life! Can you
+swim?�</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd’s sake!� grunted Mose, appearing
+on the deck, wet and shivering from the river,
+“dat’s de ’dentical question he done ask me!�</p>
+
+<p>Captain Joe, who had come on board from the
+raft with the negro, sniffed at the heels of the outlaw
+and seemed to ask permission of Clay to take a
+bite out of him. The cub pranced around the little
+waif as if he had found a friend from whom he had
+long been parted. Sam did not answer the question.
+He glared at the weapons, at the exposed fangs of
+the bulldog, and turned a scowling face to Red.</p>
+
+<p>“These rascals seem to be friends of yours,� he
+said. “I don’t hear anything about your being given
+a chance to swim! Is this a frame-up?�</p>
+
+<p>Red’s already flushed face darkened at the insulting
+question, and he would have struck Sam only
+that Case, whose gun was at his breast, motioned
+him to desist.</p>
+
+<p>“There’ll come a time!� growled Sam. “Me an’
+you will have a settlement right soon after we get
+shut of these imitation tramps. Understand that?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, kiddo,� Red cut in, turning to Clay, “Sam
+can swim. He’s great on giving exhibition stunts in
+the water. He can do anything with water except
+drink it.�</p>
+
+<p>“Glad to know it!� Clay replied, “for I want to
+see how far he can swim! Take a run-and-jump,
+you toy pirate, and get overboard.�</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd’s sake, dat’s what he said to
+dis——�</p>
+
+<p>Sam did not wait to hear the completion of the
+sentence, for Captain Joe, sensing, doubtless, that
+the outlaw was in bad with the party, advanced
+upon him. The pirate sprang for a floating timber,
+missed it, and went under. He came up in a second
+and struck out for the shore through a comparatively
+clear channel. The boys watched him until he
+crawled out on a mud bank and then turned to Red.</p>
+
+<p>“Well?� asked that individual, a smile on his
+face. “What next?�</p>
+
+<p>“First,� Clay said, “I want to thank you for
+saving me from that ruffian, and then I want you to
+sit down and wait until we get up the greatest dinner
+that ever was served on the Mississippi. I’m
+half starved, and I know that the boys are. Of
+course, if you want to land right now, we’ll put you
+ashore.�</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon,� Red replied, with a slight tremble in
+his gruff voice, “that I can’t do better than to stick
+here for a time!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay went on, “the boys are wet and
+cold, as well as hungry, and so I’ll have to do the
+cooking. Will you come in the cabin and sit by me
+while I do it?�</p>
+
+<p>“Will I? I’m lucky not to be out there on the
+shore with Sam!�</p>
+
+<p>The two passed into the cabin, after the boys
+had put on dry clothes and warmed themselves at the
+coal stove, and Clay set about cooking a mammoth
+steak which had been bought at Cairo and kept in
+the tiny refrigerator. Then he boiled potatoes, and
+made light biscuit, and the coffee he produced was a
+hearty meal in itself! There were tinned beans, and
+sardines, and salmon, and many other things when
+the meal began, but when it was over the table was
+bare of everything in the provision line!</p>
+
+<p>In the joy and comfort of being full-fed, Mose,
+Captain Joe, and Teddy rolled up in a common rug
+on the floor, in a corner where they would not be in
+the way, and went to sleep. Clay and Red went out
+on deck while the others washed the dishes.</p>
+
+<p>“Are you thinking of sticking about this section
+all night?� asked the latter.</p>
+
+<p>“Only for a short time,� Clay answered. “We’ll
+fix the motors, directly, and go on down the river.
+Why do you ask the question? Don’t you want to
+stay here?�</p>
+
+<p>“I was thinking,� Red observed, quite coolly,
+“that, with the lights going, and the shore not far
+away, Sam might be thinking of taking a shot or
+two at the boys!�</p>
+
+<p>“But he hasn’t any gun!� Clay exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, he has,� Red returned. “He has a gun
+that wasn’t found on him. He keeps it in a watertight
+sack under his left arm. He’s used to taking
+to the water!�</p>
+
+<p>“And you think he will hang about the bank,
+walking down from where he was put off, and try to
+pick us off?� asked Clay. “How far are we now
+from the mud bank he mounted?�</p>
+
+<p>“Not more than a couple of miles,� was the reply.
+“We are in water that shows only a trace of current
+now, because there is a great headland just
+below, and the flood has packed the curve full. He
+probably has been able to keep up with the boat.�</p>
+
+<p>“That isn’t going very fast!� laughed Clay, “for
+it has been at least two hours since he left the boat.
+The moon, which is in the first quarter, sets about
+eleven, and it is hiding itself in the trees already!�</p>
+
+<p>“I wouldn’t advise sticking hereabouts,� insisted
+Red. “I can say no more!�</p>
+
+<p>“All right!� Clay replied. “We’ll fix the motors
+and start on down. Here, Case,� he called out,
+“did you bring the repairs?�</p>
+
+<p>“Surest thing you know!� was the answer, and
+in a short time Clay was at work on the motive
+power, which was not much out of repair and was
+soon fixed.</p>
+
+<p>“You know, of course,� Clay said to Red, as the
+<i>Rambler</i>, under perfect control, started down stream
+at a pace which kept the driftwood from lunging
+against her stern, “that I recognize you as the man
+who talked with me out of the river at Cairo?�</p>
+
+<p>“I never suspected it!� was the slow reply.
+“How do you know I’m the man?�</p>
+
+<p>“Your voice!� was the reply. “It puzzled me
+at first, though.�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll have to trade voices with some river rascal!�
+grinned Red.</p>
+
+<p>“You spoke, that night, about a boy who had
+come on board?� Clay said, tentatively.</p>
+
+<p>“That was my business there,� Red replied, with
+a slight frown.</p>
+
+<p>“Where did the boy go that night? We never
+saw him after the officers came on board. He must
+have swum to the Missouri shore.�</p>
+
+<p>“He did,� was the hesitating reply. “He made
+it, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“Why didn’t he remain with us?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“He got scared! If I had kept away he might
+have done so.�</p>
+
+<p>“Is he your son?� was the next question Clay
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>Red looked the boy in the face steadily for a moment
+and then asked:</p>
+
+<p>“You don’t want to harm the lad, do you?�</p>
+
+<p>“I want to help him,� was the reply. “He looked
+so forlorn, and wet, and cold, and hungry, that I’ve
+thought of him a lot since. Where is he now?�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Red said, in a perplexed tone, “that is
+what I can’t tell you.�</p>
+
+<p>“Because you don’t know where he is?� demanded
+Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“No; not that. I know where he is, but I can’t
+tell you.�</p>
+
+<p>“Is the child implicated in any crime?� Clay
+asked, looking sharply into the man’s flushed face.
+“Is there any reason why he can’t go with us?�</p>
+
+<p>“Why do you suggest crime in connection with
+the kid?� demanded Red, a frown on his face.
+“He may be associated with criminals, innocently,
+and yet be worthy of all your confidence and esteem!�</p>
+
+<p>They talked a long time about the boy, about the
+events of the day, and about the future plans of the
+<i>Rambler</i> boys. The boat made good progress during
+the night while all save Clay and his strange
+companion slept. With the first flush of dawn Red
+asked to be put ashore, refusing to give any reason
+for wanting to leave the boat.</p>
+
+<p>“You’ve used me mighty white,� he said at parting,
+“and there’ll come another day! Don’t you
+ever forget that, lads! There’ll come another day!
+And if you come across that waif again, just feed
+him, and warm him, and clothe him, and pass him
+on to wherever he wants to go. Thank you all!�
+and he was gone!</p>
+
+<p>“What do you think of that for a mystery?�
+Clay asked as the man disappeared in a grove near
+the landing. “We shall hear from Red again.�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink10'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER X—MORE RIVER OUTLAWS</a></h2>
+
+<p>“And I have a notion that we’ll run across that
+waif again,� Case said. “I imagine that he is somewhere
+down the river, and that Red will not be far
+away when we come to him. Somehow, we bunt
+into mysteries wherever we go!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ve got a hunch,� Alex. exclaimed, “that we
+are headed for news of that warehouse robbery at
+Rock Island! It seems to me too, that the boy had
+something to do, with it, or is mixed up in it in some
+way.�</p>
+
+<p>“He looked pretty lean and shabby for a chap
+who had been interested in a diamond robbery!�
+Jule suggested. “Perhaps he’s not guilty—just suspected!�</p>
+
+<p>The day was fine and the flood was running out.
+The river showed less wreckage than had been seen
+the day before, for the lowering water caused much
+of it to land on headlands and sandbars. During
+the forenoon the <i>Rambler</i>, which was still leaking
+a trifle, passed several river shanties and houseboats,
+tied up below half-submerged islands, where they
+were protected from wreckage.</p>
+
+<p>These houseboats are common all along the Ohio,
+Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers.
+Fishermen and indolent river characters live in them
+the year round. Some of the boats are of good size
+and well built and furnished, while others are
+merely shanties built on rafts of logs and other
+spoils taken from the waters.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the boats carry whole families, and go
+sailing toward the Gulf with streamers of shirts and
+petticoats blowing from clotheslines. Others carry
+two or three men and numberless dogs. Those who
+reside on the boats live principally on fish, and on
+corn meal and pork purchased with the proceeds of
+fish sales.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after dinner the boys were asked to come
+on board a shanty boat navigated by two men and
+numerous dogs, so the <i>Rambler</i> was run alongside
+and Clay and Alex. went aboard, where they were
+warmly welcomed by two Chicago young men who
+were making the river trip in the way of a winter
+vacation. Their quarters were crude but comfortable.
+They had had a rough voyage because of the
+flood, but declared that they were going down to the
+Gulf if the raft held out.</p>
+
+<p>Almost the first question Clay asked was about
+the Rock Island robbery.</p>
+
+<p>“So you have been overhauled by the officers, too,
+have you?� laughed one of the young men, called
+Ben by his chum. “We had a bit of that, also,
+but the officers didn’t remain with us very long. It
+doesn’t take a week to search our craft!�</p>
+
+<p>“Are you sure they were officers?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, yes, they were officers, all right. They
+asked for a boy of about twelve, who, they declared,
+had been seen down the river, and who is believed
+to have been associated with the Rock Island robbers.
+They also asked for a man of six feet and
+over, with red hair.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay looked at Alex. significantly and asked for
+any news they might have of the robbery—any details
+they might have learned.</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, we got the story from a St. Louis newspaper
+we begged of a steamer captain,� was the
+reply. “It seems that the silks, furs, and diamonds
+stolen were stored in the warehouse one day and
+taken out by thieves that same night. A boy answering
+to the description of the one the officers
+asked for was seen about the premises during the
+afternoon, and at one time he was observed in the
+company of a giant of a man with red hair.</p>
+
+<p>“It is the theory of the police that the thieves
+captured the boy and forced him to enter through
+a broken window and unfastened the door, à~la
+Oliver Twist. They believe that if he can be caught
+he will be able to identify the robbers if they are
+caught. The red-headed man was seen in the city,
+wandering about the streets, aimlessly, on the night
+of the crime. It is not believed that he was interested
+in the robbery personally. However, they
+want him because he seemed to take a great interest
+in the boy.�</p>
+
+<p>“Have the officers found any of the stolen property?�
+asked Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Not that we know of,� was the reply. “The
+robbers got off handily, and it is believed they put
+the goods on board some river boat and sent them
+down toward New Orleans. Diamonds, silks and
+furs can be hidden in a small space.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys visited with the strangers for an hour
+or more and then went on down the river, sailing a
+very little faster than the shanty boat, which depended
+entirely on the current, and which was
+obliged to tie up at intervals to avoid wreckage.</p>
+
+<p>“I’ve got a notion,� Alex. said, as the boys left
+the shanty boat in the distance, “that the newspaper
+story is the right one. That boy never took part in
+that robbery of his own free will, though. I am
+sure of it! And the man? That was Red he described,
+eh?�</p>
+
+<p>“It undoubtedly was,� Clay replied, thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s your bosom friend!� Alex. grinned.
+“You let him escape!�</p>
+
+<p>“What else could I do, under the
+circumstances?� demanded Clay. “The fellow saved my
+life! Sam would have murdered me only for
+him!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, if he’s on the level, what’s he doing with
+a man like Sam?� questioned Alex., still grinning.</p>
+
+<p>“We shall have to leave that question to the
+future,� was the short reply.</p>
+
+<p>“You believe that Red had a hand in the robbery
+at Rock Island?� persisted the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t think anything about it! I’m waiting
+for additional information!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, we’ve got a long way to go yet,� Case cut
+in, “and we may meet with the red-headed man
+again. We may meet him in some jail yet, if our
+luck doesn’t change!�</p>
+
+<p>“Speaking about jails,� Alex. questioned, “what
+do you make of the old jail of a house Jule and I
+were locked up in? What do you think they wanted
+to hold us for?�</p>
+
+<p>“Probably to keep you from spying on what was
+going on there,� Clay suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“But what was going on there?� asked Alex.
+“That is what <i>we</i> didn’t find out!�</p>
+
+<p>“Whatever it was,� Jule observed, “the people
+interested in keeping it secret took long chances
+when they left us in the dark room with only an old
+man to guard us. And imagine them never knowing
+that Mose and the dog were in the grounds!�</p>
+
+<p>At mention of Mose Alex. burst into a roar of
+laughter.</p>
+
+<p>“I never saw a human face that showed real fear
+until I saw Mose looking in at the broken window!�
+he said, directly. “I have seen men and
+women show fright, but never anything like that!
+He thought he had come on a collection of ghosts!
+I presume he thought we, Jule and I, were dead and
+buried in the cellar, and that our spirits had come
+forth to haunt the murderers! And he streaked it
+away like a flash of light!�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s probably nothing worse than the manufacture
+of moonshine whisky going on in the old
+house,� Case contributed. “Or the loot from the
+warehouse may have been stored there,� he added.
+“The boys heard heavy articles being moved,
+though they may have been scared stiff and mistook
+the footsteps of a mouse for the heavy noises!�</p>
+
+<p>“I hope you’ll get in just such a predicament
+some day!� growled Jule. “It wasn’t any fun,
+sitting there in the dark! And I expected that crazy
+old man to shoot us any moment! I believe he was
+crazy! He acted as if he was!�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s right!� exclaimed Case. “Keep on
+talking, and I won’t have to wash a dish all the way
+to the Gulf. I love to hear you get funny.�</p>
+
+<p>“That will do for you!� cried Jule, gleefully.
+“I see you washing the supper dishes right now!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’d like to go back and investigate that old
+house,� Alex. observed. “It would be great fun! I
+believe it stood there when the cave-dwellers lived
+along the Chickasaw bluffs, and that was before De
+Soto discovered the river and was buried in its
+depths.�</p>
+
+<p>“I thought La Salle discovered the Mississippi,�
+Case said, with a wink at Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“He made a stab at navigating it from the Illinois
+river down,� Alex. answered, seeing that Case was
+prodding him in the desire of receiving information.
+“But he gave the wrong course to the stream. The
+real Mississippi turns at St. Louis and runs off toward
+the Rocky Mountains.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes it does!� exclaimed Jule. “You’re in
+need of mental rest, young man.�</p>
+
+<p>“Certainly it does,� Alex. insisted. “The
+longest stretch of water takes the river name,
+doesn’t it? Well, the Missouri is about three
+thousand miles long from the fountain-heads of the
+Gallatin, Madison and Red Rock lakes to the junction
+with the Mississippi, while from the junction to
+headwaters the Mississippi is only about twelve
+hundred miles long!�</p>
+
+<p>“It does seem as if the longest river should
+carry the name,� said Case. “In that event, this
+would be the Missouri river!�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure it would,� insisted Alex. “The river from
+the Red Rock lakes to the Gulf is the longest river
+in the world—eight hundred miles longer than the
+Amazon, though not so wide! Some day the name
+of the Missouri will become the Mississippi, or the
+Mississippi will be called the Missouri!�</p>
+
+<p>The boys argued over the proposition for a long
+time, until it was time to get supper, and then Clay
+and Alex. began watching for ducks, with which the
+river swarms at times. While they secured three
+fair-sized birds, Alex. caught fish, and insisted on
+their being cooked with the ducks.</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll never get enough to eat if I leave the menu
+to you boys,� he declared, “and Mose feels about it
+just as I do!� he added, pulling the little negro’s
+ear.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah sure do feel empty!� answered Mose, rolling
+up his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The Mississippi is a tangle of channels and
+islands above Memphis, and the boys decided to tie
+up for the night on the down-stream side of one of
+the little “tow-heads� which are so frequently seen
+close to larger islands. These are formed by deposits
+of sand and vegetable matter, but they increase
+in size rapidly as soon as cotton-wood brush
+takes possession of the new ground, assisting materially
+in resisting the encroachments of the current.</p>
+
+<p>The islands of the Mississippi are numerous and
+uncertain as to location. They have all been formed
+by the cutting of new channels across headlands.
+The river itself winds like a very crooked snake
+through the soft bottom lands of the south, and the
+water is forever finding new and shorter ways to
+reach the Gulf.</p>
+
+<p>From the junction of the Ohio, there are one hundred
+and twenty-five numbered islands from Cairo
+to Bayou la Fourche, in Louisiana, and besides these
+there are nearly as many more which bear the names
+of the owners. Many of these islands are grown up
+with impenetrable thickets or show only deserted
+fields.</p>
+
+<p>In proceeding down the great river the boys had
+kept on only sufficient power to gain steerway, as
+they were in no haste to reach the Gulf of Mexico,
+which was their final destination on that trip. They
+decided that day to travel nights no more.</p>
+
+<p>After supper had been eaten the boys switched on
+all the lights and sat out on deck. There was a brilliant
+moon, but they preferred to let everybody in
+that vicinity know that they were there—hence the
+electric lights.</p>
+
+<p>“If any one sneaks up on us now,� Alex. laughed,
+“he’ll have to get to us by the under-water route!
+And, even then, one of us would be apt to see him.
+Captain Joe is losing his record as a watch dog, but
+I guess Teddy can take his place.�</p>
+
+<p>Captain Joe, as if he understood every word that
+had been said, and resented the insinuation, walked
+up to the prow and sat in a meditative mood, looking
+over the small “tow-head� which sheltered the
+boat from the current. He sat there motionless so
+long that Alex. finally called attention to him.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah knows what he’s done seein’!� exclaimed
+Mose. “Dar’s a big fat coon watchin’ us from dat
+mess ob bushes. Ah done seen him long time ago!�</p>
+
+<p>An inspection of the spot pointed out showed half
+a dozen evil-looking negroes watching the boat.</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink11'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XI—FIRE-FACES ON THE ISLAND</a></h2>
+
+<p>“What are they squatting there watching the
+boat for?� queried Jule, as the prow light fell full
+on the group of negroes on the island. “They don’t
+look good to me!�</p>
+
+<p>“If we keep away from them,� Case suggested,
+“and don’t try to stare them out of countenance,
+they’ll probably keep away from us. They do look
+fierce, though!�</p>
+
+<p>While the boys discussed the matter the negroes
+moved away from the shore of the island, where
+they were under the boat lights, and secreted themselves
+behind a patch of willows which fringed the
+“tow-head,� for the place where they were was
+little else.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t believe they have any idea of letting us
+alone, if they can manage to get on board the
+<i>Rambler</i>,� Clay declared. “I have often read that
+lawless negroes and whites are alike alert for plunder
+during flood seasons, and it is floating goods
+those fellows are after, unless I am much mistaken.
+We’ll have to keep a sharp watch to-night.�</p>
+
+<p>“Wouldn’t it be wiser to drive them away?�
+asked Alex., with one of his grins.</p>
+
+<p>“We have no right to drive them away,� Case
+suggested. “We may get into trouble if we try it.
+I’ll watch half the night and not mind it at all.�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. nudged Jule in the side and whispered in
+his ear for a moment.</p>
+
+<p>“Jule and I will watch the first half,� he then
+said. “Perhaps they will go off home by midnight,
+and Case won’t have to watch at all.�</p>
+
+<p>“Alex.,� Clay exclaimed, “you’ve got some mischief
+in your mind. Heretofore you’ve come out of
+your scrapes with whole bones, but sometime you’ll
+get into serious trouble if you don’t stop running out
+nights. I strongly advise you to let those levee
+negroes alone! You go to bed early, and I’ll watch
+the boat!�</p>
+
+<p>“Who’s got mischief in the mind?� grinned
+Alex. “I guess I can stay up until midnight without
+gettin’ into trouble! You see if I don’t make the
+dandy watchman to-night! When it comes to keeping
+guard, I’m the candy boy!�</p>
+
+<p>“You usually manage to get into trouble when
+you are left alone!� laughed Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“If I can’t be good to-night,� grinned Alex.,
+“I’ll be careful.�</p>
+
+<p>Nothing more was seen of the negroes at that
+time, although the boys were satisfied that they were
+still on the island, as no boat had been seen to leave
+it.</p>
+
+<p>After a time Clay, Case and Mose went to bed,
+leaving Alex., Jule, Captain Joe, and Teddy on
+deck. The dog seemed particularly wide awake,
+moving about as if he scented danger, while the cub
+sat looking toward the island with twitching nostrils.</p>
+
+<p>“Seems as if the dog and the cub know there’s
+something coming off here to-night,� Jule remarked,
+as Captain Joe put his paw on the gunwale and
+sniffed the air. “Do you really think they have a
+way of discovering approaching peril which human
+beings have not? Captain Joe certainly looks as if
+he saw something unpleasant coming.�</p>
+
+<p>“I often think dogs have an instinct which warns
+them of danger,� Alex. replied.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Jule went on, “we’ll soon see what
+comes of the signals of danger he is now handing
+out to us! Whatever he sees or senses is on that
+island.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys watched for a long time, but there came
+no sounds of life from the island.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re like the dog,� Jule said to Alex., presently.
+“You are getting ready for a break of some
+sort! Suppose you loosen up and tell me what it
+is?�</p>
+
+<p>“You remember that night on the Amazon, when
+we scared the life out of a couple of renegade
+Englishmen and a native Indian?� asked Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Sure I do!� was the reply. “That was the
+funniest ever!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Alex. explained, “I’m goin’ to try something
+like that on these negroes.�</p>
+
+<p>“Better let ’em alone!� advised Jule. “They are
+wise to tricks!�</p>
+
+<p>“Shucks!� Alex. laughed. “I’ll have them
+walking on their heads, and walking the water at
+that. I wish I had a boat, so I wouldn’t have to
+swim to the island!�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ve lost a rowboat every trip!� Jule exclaimed.
+“I wonder why we didn’t pick the one we
+had off the raft and fix it up. It wasn’t badly
+smashed.�</p>
+
+<p>“We may find it yet,� Alex. said, hopefully.
+“We have come down just a little faster than the
+current, and so it is probably behind us. When it
+comes down we’ll get it and make it as good as
+new.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, when we get it!� laughed Jule. “There’s
+a thousand people along the island beaches and
+mainland levees watching for boats! Just like these
+negroes are watching for anything at all that seems
+worth picking out of the water!�</p>
+
+<p>“It won’t do any harm to keep a lookout for it,�
+Alex. decided. “Now,� he added, turning out the
+lights and throwing off his coat, “do you want to go
+to the shore with me? If you will go I’ll show you a
+race that will beat anything you ever saw.�</p>
+
+<p>“And leave the boat alone?� demanded Jule.
+“I should say not. I’ll remain here and see that
+your retreat is properly covered. You’ll want some
+one here to hold a gun on the negroes you seem determined
+to stir up.�</p>
+
+<p>“Now don’t get a grouch on,� pleaded Alex.
+“I’m doing this purely in the interest of science! I
+want to see how far the emancipation proclamation
+has relieved the negroes of the south from the old-time
+superstitions of the race! Not to put too fine
+a point upon it, kid, I want to see what a good
+healthy ghost will do to a lot of river thieves! Do
+you get me?�</p>
+
+<p>“Going to play ghost, are you,� laughed Jule.
+“Then I’ll be a ghost, too!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. listened at the cabin door for a moment, but
+heard no sounds indicating the lack of sleep on the
+inside. Then he crept in, fumbled around in the
+darkness until he found two old bathing suits and a
+square package which smelled of sulphur.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� he explained to Jule, as he came out,
+“we’ll put on these bathing suits, so as to have dry
+clothes ready when we return from the island!
+You take a part of the matches, for we may become
+separated in the thicket. We won’t do the Mephisto
+act until we get to the island, then rub the sulphur
+on thick—on your hands and face.�</p>
+
+<p>“I guess I know how!� Jule remonstrated.</p>
+
+<p>The boys placed their clothing in two piles on the
+deck and donned the bathing suits—much to the
+wonder of Captain Joe, who wrinkled his nose and
+looked suspiciously at the boys. His remarks on the
+subject of bathing in a swift river in the night time
+were not in favor of the experiment. However, he
+crouched down by Alex.’s feet and expressed himself
+as willing to share in the doubtful expedition.</p>
+
+<p>“When we get into the willows,� Alex. explained,
+“I’ll let out a yell which will put Mose’s efforts in
+that direction away to the bad! Then you run at
+them on the right and I’ll close in on the left, and
+we’ll see a race that will put the Greek events out on
+a blind siding with fires banked. When you are
+ready, drop in and swim for the bunch of willows
+straight ahead. Swim slow and don’t make any
+noise.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys left the dark deck of the <i>Rambler</i> and
+entered the water. There was little current where
+the boat lay, and they had no difficulty in making the
+willows pointed out by the promoter of the midnight
+excursion. The lights of Memphis made a faint
+haze in the sky to the south. The wash of the river
+drowned all individual noises. In the distance the
+caving of a bank sent down a heavy sound.</p>
+
+<p>Believing that they had left the boat without
+awakening any of the sleepers and landed on the
+island without attracting the attention of the
+negroes, the boys crouched down in a thicket and
+listened.</p>
+
+<p>The moon, which would set about midnight, was
+low down in the west, and gave a fitful light at rare
+intervals. There was a heavy mass of thunderheads
+in the sky, and few stars showed through. There
+were no indications of a light or fire on the island.</p>
+
+<p>The boys, however, were much mistaken in their
+understanding of the situation. When they dropped
+off the deck of the <i>Rambler</i>, Clay poked his head
+out of the cabin and watched them as far as the
+darkness would permit. Then he returned to the
+cabin, put on a bathing suit and took a square box
+from the cupboard.</p>
+
+<p>The box contained the reserve weapons and flashlights
+of the party and was waterproof. With this
+in his hand, and leaving Captain Joe on guard, with
+strict orders not to leave the deck, he entered the
+water and swam toward the shore, turning away
+from the bunch of willows where the two boys had
+landed.</p>
+
+<p>Of course he did not know that Alex. and Jule
+had left the water there, but it seemed to him that
+they would naturally select the nearest point as their
+landing place. Once on shore he sat down to await
+developments.</p>
+
+<p>He was certain that Alex. and Jule had entered
+upon a dangerous expedition. The river negroes of
+the south are by no means as superstitious as is
+generally believed, and Clay knew it. He doubted
+if they would run far at sight of a face blazing with
+sulphur. It was his opinion that the boys would be
+the ones to start the race!</p>
+
+<p>The negroes were sure to be armed, and they
+might be drunk, in which case they would not be
+likely to permit the outer spirits to bluff the inner
+spirits! Besides, they might have valuable plunder
+on the island, and some would be brave enough to
+remain and fight for it.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, if Clay had gravely asked the boys to
+give over their proposed joy visit to the island, they
+would undoubtedly have done so, but he did not
+care to do that. His thought was that he ought not
+to attempt to control the actions of he boys, as they
+all stood equal on the trip, no one having authority
+over the others.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, if the truth must be told, Clay, himself,
+was not averse to a little excitement! In addition,
+he was anxious to know what was doing on the island,
+and why the negroes were assembled there.</p>
+
+<p>Another feature of the situation was that a
+watcher on the beach saw all three forms in the
+water as they left the boat! When the lads landed,
+Alex. and Jule at the clump of willows and Clay farther
+to the west, this watcher lost no time in
+communicating with his fellows in their rough-and-ready
+camp near the center of the little “tow-head.�</p>
+
+<p>The noise made by the negroes in getting ready to
+meet whatever attack might be made upon them
+gave the location of their camp to Clay, and he
+pressed as close to it as it was possible for him to do
+without advancing into the open, where he might
+have been seen during any moment of moonlight.</p>
+
+<p>It was a chill night, and there was a wind blowing
+from the west which seemed to cut into his bones,
+but Clay sat down not far from the camp and
+awaited the opening of the drama! He could hear
+the campers moving about, but could not distinguish
+the words spoken. The moon sank out of sight for
+good before any movement was made.</p>
+
+<p>Then Clay saw a figure fit to frighten the most
+courageous leave the fringe of willows and advance
+deliberately toward the center of the island.
+He had hard work to make himself understand that
+the thing he saw was only one of the boys. If the
+very Old Scratch himself had set foot on the “tow-head�
+he could not have presented a more sinister
+appearance. Clay watched the advance of the figure
+with bated breath.</p>
+
+<p>In a second after the figure appeared, flaming of
+face and pointing hands, with a great cross of fire on
+what appeared to be a naked breast, a long, wavering
+cry went up from the camp, and then there came
+a rush of feet. Clay could not tell at first which way
+the feet were going, but a moment convinced him
+that they were putting a swift distance between the
+camp and the devil-figure approaching.</p>
+
+<p>When a second figure, marked like the first, appeared
+the shrieks of alarm, the running of frightened
+feet, were drowned by the commands of a bull-like
+voice to stop the panic-stricken flight and use
+revolver and knife!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink12'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XII—HALF FULL OF DIAMONDS</a></h2>
+
+<p>At that moment, notwithstanding the commotion
+and the threats of coming trouble, Clay felt like
+congratulating Alex. and Jule on the manner in
+which they were carrying out their reckless plans.
+More blood-curdling shrieks than now proceeded
+from the throats of the boys he had never heard.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing that defeat, perhaps death, would instantly
+follow on the heels of retreat, Alex. and Jule
+charged the camp, swinging their fire-coated arms
+and uttering cries which it did not seem possible
+could issue forth from human lips. There naturally
+followed a swifter flight on the part of the negroes.</p>
+
+<p>But three or four black men, less superstitious, or
+having more at stake, than the others, stood their
+ground, calling to their companions that it was a
+white man’s trick, and that they should return and
+ascertain by the use of steel and lead just how human
+their visitors were. For a time the voices of
+the courageous ones did not check the mad rush for
+the river, but finally a group gathered on the beach
+and engaged in conversation, which, of course, Clay
+could not hear.</p>
+
+<p>Alex. and Jule now “disappeared� in approved
+“ghost� fashion—that is, they drew black cloths
+over their faces and hands so that their flaming
+make-up could no longer be seen. In fact, it was
+now so dark, the moon having set, that even the
+figures of the boys could not be seen when they
+crouched on the ground. The negroes on the beach
+were only visible because they formed quite a large
+group and kept constantly in excited motion.</p>
+
+<p>Clay wondered if the boys would now understand
+that their trick had failed and make for the
+<i>Rambler</i>. At the first rush the negroes had fled, but
+they were now listening to arguments intended to
+reassure them, and the ultimate result was not in
+doubt.</p>
+
+<p>Before long the black men would swarm back to
+the camp, perhaps make a thorough search of the
+entire “tow-head,� in which case the boys were
+sure to be discovered, unless they made their way
+back to the boat before the search began. Clay
+placed himself between the camp and the boat and
+waited, thinking that his reserve weapons might be
+needed.</p>
+
+<p>The information that he had seen figures leaving
+the boat just before the advent of the “ghosts,� as
+given by the watcher, had instant effect on the
+negroes. They swarmed back toward the camp,
+making a great many more threats than Clay
+thought was necessary! Two familiar figures now
+came dashing toward Clay, and he called out softly
+to them to halt a moment. The figures developed
+into two rather frightened boys as soon as they came
+close to the watcher.</p>
+
+<p>“Me for the boat!� panted Jule. “I reckon
+these coons know a ghost when they see one—not!
+Me for the feathers, too when I light! Come on,
+Alex!�</p>
+
+<p>“Go on and get aboard!� Alex. urged. “I want
+to see Clay a moment.�</p>
+
+<p>Jule darted away and was soon out of sight. Although
+he had carefully made up as a disciple of
+Old Nick, he was careful not to exhibit any of his
+trade-marks as he moved towards the boat! Clay
+and Alex. stood listening to the commotion for a
+moment, and then the latter panted, taking Clay’s
+arm as he did so, and drawing him back toward the
+camp:</p>
+
+<p>“When I got up there,� he said, “I stumbled over
+some one lying on the ground! I felt about for a
+minute and found pretty much rags! Then some
+one told me to get off the island or I would be
+murdered.�</p>
+
+<p>“Go on!� Clay said excitedly. “We have no
+time to lose if we are to investigate this matter.
+Was the person you talked with a prisoner?�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure he was. He asked me to cut the cords,
+but I had no knife with me and so had to make an
+effort to untie them. The captive talked while I was
+at work on the knots, and who do you think it was.
+Give you three guesses!�</p>
+
+<p>“Hurry! Hurry! We have no time to lose, I tell
+you, if the captive is in need of our assistance. Who
+is it?�</p>
+
+<p>“The kid who came on board the <i>Rambler</i> at
+Cairo!� replied Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“And you had to leave him there—tied?�</p>
+
+<p>“What else could I do?� asked Alex. “I didn’t
+have even a knife! This foolish bathing suit has no
+pockets, so I brought no arms with me. What
+could I do, when the coons were making a rush for
+the camp?�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ve got to get that kid!� Clay cried.</p>
+
+<p>“If they would only go away for a minute,� Alex.
+declared, “I could get him and bring him to the
+boat, ropes and all!�</p>
+
+<p>A shot came from the <i>Rambler</i>, and, turning, the
+boys saw that the craft was aglow with electric
+lights! Instantly they crouched lower in the willows,
+for the strong prow lamp cast a ray far over
+on the “tow-head.�</p>
+
+<p>Another shot came from the boat, and then the
+negroes at the camp made a break for the beach,
+passing within a rod of where the two boys lay concealed.</p>
+
+<p>“Shall we take them in the rear?� asked Alex.
+“They have attacked the boat.�</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t shoot!� warned Clay. “Remember that
+we had no right to molest them in the first place!
+The boys on the boat are awake, or the lights
+wouldn’t be on. They can protect themselves, I
+reckon. I hope Jule is in a safe place!�</p>
+
+<p>The lights were still on, but not a person could be
+seen. Then more shots came, and Clay saw that the
+boys were firing through the small port holes in the
+gunwale, and that the negroes were contenting themselves
+with firing volley after volley at the cabin
+windows, which were now void of glass!</p>
+
+<p>While the boys on shore watched with intense
+anxiety, the motors of the <i>Rambler</i> were heard, and
+then the boat began to drop down stream.</p>
+
+<p>“I wonder if Jule got on board?� Alex. asked.</p>
+
+<p>“If he met with no opposition on the way he
+probably did,� was the reply. “At least we must
+suppose that he is either on the boat or in hiding on
+the island.�</p>
+
+<p>“Come on, then!� shouted Alex. “We’ll make
+a success of this excursion yet. We’ll take possession
+of the camp. I want a confidential talk with
+the prisoner!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll be getting a confidential talk with a bullet
+pretty soon, if you don’t pay more attention to
+getting off!� Clay answered. “The boat has
+dropped down, and the negroes will soon be back
+here. It is another swim! What?�</p>
+
+<p>Almost before Clay had done speaking Alex. was
+off in the darkness. Clay could just see his figure
+moving along the ground, so he followed on after
+him, wondering what new trick the lad had in
+mind. The light from the <i>Rambler</i> grew fainter
+every instant. For some reason unknown to Clay,
+the boat was being moved down stream a long way.</p>
+
+<p>In a moment Clay saw Alex. bending over a figure
+lying on the ground at the edge of a rude windbreak
+of willow bushes, cut and woven together.</p>
+
+<p>“Where’s the coon’s boat?� he asked, hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p>Clay smiled happily. He had not thought of that!</p>
+
+<p>“Off there on the east side,� replied the boy.
+“Have you got a knife yet?�</p>
+
+<p>For answer Alex. seized the lad by the feet and
+called out to Clay:</p>
+
+<p>“Catch him by the shoulders, and we’ll carry
+him!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay was not slow in following the suggestion,
+and the boys soon had the captive between the
+fringe of willows and the water. The boat was
+there, a large, four-oared craft which was partly
+filled with plunder taken from the river. The
+negroes were evidently making a business of gathering
+supplies from the flood. Just then Jule came
+up, out of breath from a stumbling run in the dark.</p>
+
+<p>The captive was placed on board, and then Clay
+seized a pair of heavy oars.</p>
+
+<p>“Take the helm,� he called to Alex., “and you
+help with the oars, Jule,� he added.</p>
+
+<p>Then the craft shot out into the current. When
+she came around the corner of the little island,
+where the light from the <i>Rambler</i> struck her a series
+of frantic shouts came from the men huddled on
+the south bank, and a few shots were fired, but, the
+current running swiftly, they were soon out of
+range.</p>
+
+<p>“Let ’em swim,� chuckled Alex. “A bath will be
+good for what ails them!�</p>
+
+<p>“Alex.,� remarked Clay, panting with the heavy
+work at the oars, “you deserve a Carnegie medal!�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure!� chuckled the other. “I’m the Johnny-on-the-Spot
+when it comes to prescribing healthful
+stunts for the working classes! Where is that boat
+going?� he added as the <i>Rambler</i> disappeared
+around a distant bend in the stream.</p>
+
+<p>“This is what comes of running off in the night
+without telling the boys what we were up to!�
+panted Jule. “This is some boat, when it comes to
+weight.�</p>
+
+<p>In ten minutes the lights of the <i>Rambler</i> were in
+sight again, the rowboat having passed around the
+bend. Then Clay took out a searchlight and began
+making signals to those on board. Directly an
+answering signal came from the boat, and then the
+lights halted, turned, and came up stream.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re a nice lot of watchmen!� Case called
+out, as the two boats came close together. “We
+thought you had caught a floater boat and drifted
+down stream.�</p>
+
+<p>“This,� grinned Alex., “is the only old and
+original relief expedition. We have with us to-night
+a brand snatched from the coons!�</p>
+
+<p>“Hand down a knife!� called Clay. “This lad
+is capable of climbing on board by his own self!
+And swing around a little so as not to tip us over!�</p>
+
+<p>With no little difficulty the boys were landed on
+the deck of the <i>Rambler</i>. Case regarded the visitor
+with a quizzical smile as he bent over him.</p>
+
+<p>“Did you take a dive at Cairo,� he asked, “and
+come up at Memphis?�</p>
+
+<p>The boy answered only by a weary smile, and
+Mose stood staring at him with widening eyes,
+while Captain Joe sniffed suspiciously at his worn
+garments. Teddy invited him to a boxing match!</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll go you boys a dollar to an apple,� Case observed,
+“that this kid is still empty! He looks it!
+Anyway, I’ll go and get him something to eat!�</p>
+
+<p>“And don’t forget the heroic rescuers!� Alex.
+called out. “I haven’t had a thing to eat since supper!
+Say, kid,� he went on, “what’s your name?�</p>
+
+<p>“Chester Vinton,� was the reply, in a frightened
+voice. “I’m running away.�</p>
+
+<p>“You wasn’t running very fast when we found
+you!� commented Alex. “How did you come to
+mix with those wreckers?�</p>
+
+<p>“I was on a raft,� was the answer, “and I was
+hungry, and I saw them on the island, and asked
+them for something to eat. They tied me up!�</p>
+
+<p>“Why didn’t you stay on board the boat at
+Cairo?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“I was afraid,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Red is back up the river looking for you,� Jule
+observed, still shivering from his exposure to the
+cold water. “He took passage with us part of the
+way down.�</p>
+
+<p>“I should think he did!� chuckled Alex. “And
+he was a first cabin passenger at that!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay decided, presently, “perhaps we’d
+better feed this boy and put him to bed. He looks
+as if he’d been up against something hard.�</p>
+
+<p>The lad ate ravenously, and then began undressing.
+Clay sat in the cabin with him. He was full
+of wonderment at this second meeting with the boy,
+and wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but
+decided to wait until the lad was in better condition.</p>
+
+<p>As the visitor threw his ragged clothes off a thud
+on the floor told of something of considerable
+weight in one of the pockets.</p>
+
+<p>“Do you carry a gun, lad?� he asked, stooping
+over to lift the trousers.</p>
+
+<p>The boy bounded forward and snatched at the
+trousers, but Clay was too quick for him. The
+article which had made the noise on the floor was a
+leather bag.</p>
+
+<p>An investigation showed that it was half full of
+diamonds of exceptional quality!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink13'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XIII—A RIVER ROBBER IN A NEW ROLE</a></h2>
+
+<p>With half a dozen stones of splendid value rolling
+over the palm of his hand, Clay regarded the
+boy accusingly.</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you get the diamonds?� he asked.</p>
+
+<p>The boy did not answer. Clay had expected confusion
+and shame. Instead he met with anger and
+reproach. Chester (“Chet� from that day forward)
+shot forward like an arrow and tried to
+wrest the bag from his hands. Clay put him back
+tolerantly.</p>
+
+<p>“Give them back to me!� Chet shouted so loudly
+that the boys out on the deck entered the cabin and
+stood in an astonished group about the two.</p>
+
+<p>Clay, grasping the bag and the lose gems, held his
+hands high above his head.</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you get them?� he persisted.</p>
+
+<p>“Give them back to me!� yelled Chet. “You’ve
+been following me for this, have you? You’re all as
+bad as the river thieves I’ve met up with! Give
+them to me!�</p>
+
+<p>“What do you think of the little one for a diamond
+dip?� asked Alex., pointing at the flushed
+face of the agitated boy. “He’s some clever!�</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon he belongs with Red, the Robber, all
+right!� Jule put in.</p>
+
+<p>“He seems to be pretty well fixed!� laughed
+Case. “Those gems are worth more than a hundred
+thousand dollars! Did you swipe them from the
+men who robbed the Rock Island warehouse, kid?�
+he added.</p>
+
+<p>Chet turned a flaming face toward this new accuser.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t you dare call me a thief!� he shouted.
+“The diamonds are mine! I never stole them.
+Give them back to me, you—you—river pirates!�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s good, coming from him!� grinned Alex.
+“Come on, little one, and tell us who these stones
+belong to.�</p>
+
+<p>“I tell you they are mine!� Chet again insisted.
+“I never stole them! You give them back to me!
+If I had the strength I’d tear your heart out!�</p>
+
+<p>“Of course!� laughed Clay. “Of course you’d
+do something desperate if you had the strength!
+But don’t trouble yourself about the diamonds! If
+they belong to you, you shall have them. But we
+don’t want to harbor a thief, you know!�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t believe you’ll ever give them back to
+me!� sobbed the boy. “I’ve brought them down the
+river, all this way, to be robbed of them at last!�</p>
+
+<p>In a spasm of grief the lad threw himself on the
+cabin floor and burst into an uncontrollable fit of
+weeping. The boys stood around for a moment,
+looking rather sheepishly at each other, and then all
+left the cabin but Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Come kid,� the latter said, lifting Chet from the
+floor and holding him in his arms like a baby, “don’t
+act like you’d lost your last friend! If you’re
+honest, you’ve found friends instead of losing them.
+You shall have the diamonds back, if you can show
+that they belong to you. Brace up, now, and go on
+to bed!�</p>
+
+<p>Chet regarded Clay through wet eyes for a moment
+and then slipped away to the bunk which had
+been set aside for him. The frank inspection seemed
+to have in a measure restored his equanimity. Clay
+sat down by the side of the bunk, the diamonds in
+his hands.</p>
+
+<p>“Why don’t you tell me all about it?� he asked
+of the boy. “Why not settle the whole matter right
+here, and so have done with it? Where did you get
+them?�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ve promised not to tell,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“You are not making a very good beginning,�
+Clay admonished.</p>
+
+<p>Chet made no reply whatever, but turned his face
+away. Clay went on, patiently:</p>
+
+<p>“Where is your home?�</p>
+
+<p>“I haven’t got any home,� was the reply. “I
+never had one.�</p>
+
+<p>“But you must belong somewhere,� Clay insisted.
+“Where did you live last?�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m not going to tell you anything at all,� Chet
+replied, “until I see the man that made me promise
+to keep silent, and until he gives me leave to talk
+with you.�</p>
+
+<p>“Is the man you mention Red, the riverman?�
+asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Didn’t I just tell you that I wasn’t going to
+talk?� demanded the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“All right,� Clay responded. “Take all the time
+you want! In the meantime, I’ll keep the diamonds.
+Will you promise to remain on the boat?�</p>
+
+<p>“If I had the diamonds, I’d quit you right now!�
+said the boy, savagely. “I may as well tell you the
+truth. If you keep the diamonds, I’ll stay until I get
+them, but I’ll find them and take them with me if I
+can. You just mind that!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re a frank little chap, anyway!� laughed
+Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“I wasn’t brought up to tell lies!� was the astonishing
+reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Who brought you up?� asked Clay. “You
+just said you never had any home!�</p>
+
+<p>“Never did!� was the reply. “Say, you won’t
+blame me if I find where you put the diamonds and
+run off with them, will you?� he added, quite
+gravely.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t see how I can blame you, after such fair
+warning,� laughed Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“And you won’t help any one to find me?� persisted
+the little fellow.</p>
+
+<p>“No,� answered Clay, “if you are sharp enough
+to get the diamonds away from me, I’ll never let on
+that I ever saw or heard of you. Is that satisfactory
+to you?�</p>
+
+<p>“Will you shake hands on that?� asked Chet,
+sitting up on the bunk.</p>
+
+<p>“Gladly! Now, go to sleep and wake up in a
+more communicative mood to-morrow.�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll stick to what I said!� Chet answered, and
+Clay left him alone in the cabin. When he reached
+the deck he was at once surrounded by the boys, all
+eager to know the outcome of the conference. Clay
+told them of what had taken place.</p>
+
+<p>“He’s a nervy little chap!� Clay concluded, “and
+I like him very much already.�</p>
+
+<p>“You bet he’s all right, that kid!� Alex. said.
+“If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have told you that he
+would get the gems the first time he got a chance.
+Besides, see how he is keeping the promise made to
+some other fellow! Where are you going to keep the
+diamonds, Clay?� the boy continued. “Don’t you
+ever think the kid won’t try hard to find them! I
+hope he won’t feel called upon to cut all our throats
+in order to obtain possession of them! I believe he
+would do it if he thought it necessary!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay answered, speaking in a low tone
+and looking in through the glass panel of the cabin
+door to see that Chet was still in his bunk, “I think
+I’ll go ashore at Memphis, for supplies, you know,
+and put the gems in a deposit box at one of the
+banks.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s a fine idea!� cried Case. “He’ll never
+get them there!�</p>
+
+<p>“But you want to look out that you’re not pinched
+in the bank,� Alex. advised. “That warehouse robbery
+is making some noise, and if a boy from a river
+boat is seen to have diamonds, it is the jail house for
+yours!�</p>
+
+<p>“If you put them in a bank deposit box,� Jule observed,
+“you’d better do them up so as to look like
+a package of papers—bonds, or stocks, or something
+like that.�</p>
+
+<p>“That is a good idea, too!� Clay exclaimed.
+“I’ll do it!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’d give a lot to know more about the boy and
+the diamonds,� Clay mused, as the boys began getting
+breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>They had talked so long, after reaching the boat,
+that they had not before realized that it was most
+morning, and now there was a flush in the east which
+told of sunrise.</p>
+
+<p>When Clay went back into the cabin to see about
+the fire, he found Chet crouching on the floor just
+back of the door. He yawned as Clay entered the
+apartment.</p>
+
+<p>“What are you doing here?� asked Clay, in
+amazement.</p>
+
+<p>“Guess I’m trying to find my way to the door!�
+was the half-smiling reply. “I didn’t seem to know
+where I was when I woke up!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay accepted the excuse, and went on with his
+preparation of breakfast. However, he doubted
+what the boy had said. Notwithstanding the previous
+good impression he had formed of the waif, he
+wondered if the lad had not crept out of bed and
+stationed himself by the door in order to hear what
+was said about the disposition of the gems.</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll have to be more careful,� Clay thought.
+“That boy is a clever one!�</p>
+
+<p>After breakfast the waif was rigged out with a
+suit of Alex.’s clothes. In the new attire he seemed
+to be a different boy from the one taken from the
+camp.</p>
+
+<p>The boys did not accept as the truth all he said
+about himself, though that was not much. When he
+declared that he had never had any home, they
+commented on the fact that his speech and manners
+were those of a boy who had been given a fair
+education.</p>
+
+<p>Chet at once took to the pets of the boat, Mose,
+Captain Joe, and Teddy, the bear cub, and they
+immediately recognized him as a member of the
+family.</p>
+
+<p>While he was playing with the cub on the prow,
+Clay made an oblong package of the diamonds, scattering
+them in between sheets of paper, and marked
+them “Bonds.� The bag in which they had been
+found was half filled with burrs, and small bits of a
+broken dish and tied tight. It resembled the bag as
+it had stood before any change had been made when
+Clay had finished with it.</p>
+
+<p>This bag Clay resolved to keep in his pocket until
+he could place it under the eyes of the boy who
+claimed it, the idea being to see if he really would
+snatch the supposed prize and take to the river
+again. Clay hoped that he would not, for all liked
+the little fellow. That afternoon they ran down to
+a Memphis pier and Clay went ashore with the
+gems.</p>
+
+<p>He was in time to secure a deposit box at a bank
+and stow the diamonds away. The cashier with
+whom he did business asked questions regarding his
+age and permanent residence, and seemed satisfied
+with his answers. He was, indeed, especially interested
+in Clay’s description of the <i>Rambler</i> and the
+voyages the boys had made in her, and asked permission
+to visit the party that evening if he found time.</p>
+
+<p>Clay gladly gave the required permission, ordered
+supplies sent to the pier, and then started out for a
+look at the beautiful city. Almost at the entrance
+to the bank he met Alex., who had the flushed appearance
+of a boy who had been walking pretty fast.</p>
+
+<p>The two walked together for a block without
+speaking, save for the initial greeting, and then
+Alex. proposed that they go to a restaurant and have
+a “steak about as big as a parlor rug,� as he expressed
+it. Clay agreed, but laughed at the notion.</p>
+
+<p>“Why not take it on board?� he asked. “We
+can cook it much better than any city chef,� he
+added.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Alex. replied, “I saw a neat little restaurant
+back here, not far from the river front, and I
+thought I’d like to go there and have a feed.�</p>
+
+<p>So the two turned into the restaurant, when they
+came to it, and took a small table at a rear corner of
+the room. It being late for dinner and early for
+supper, there were few in the place.</p>
+
+<p>One party, at the front of the room, at once attracted
+Clay’s attention. There were three men in
+the party, one young, smiling and flashily dressed;
+one old, grizzled and clad in a well-worn business
+suit; and another dressed expensively and with great
+care. This man had a surprising growth of red
+hair which showed evidences of great care. His
+face was smooth-shaven, and had the appearance of
+having recently been divested of a beard, the flesh
+showing soft and white, as if not long exposed to
+the weather.</p>
+
+<p>When this man arose to pay the check and laid a
+hand on the back of a chair, Clay noticed that the
+hand was very large and finely kept. The man was
+something over six feet in height! Clay gave Alex.
+a kick under the table and directed his gaze to the
+large man, then passing over to the cashier’s window.</p>
+
+<p>“Take a good look at that man,� he whispered.
+“Ever see him before?�</p>
+
+<p>“I saw him when I passed,� was the reply, “and
+brought you here. That’s Red, the Robber.�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink14'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XIV—ALEX. BREAKS FURNITURE</a></h2>
+
+<p>“Unless Red, the Robber, has a twin who is an
+exact duplicate of himself,� Clay whispered, “that
+is just who it is!�</p>
+
+<p>“When I passed here,� Alex. explained, “the
+three were just sitting down to dinner, and I knew
+that I could get you back here in time to see Red,
+the Robber, before he could finish the big steak he
+had just tackled. There he is! Now what?�</p>
+
+<p>“It doesn’t seem possible that that finely-dressed,
+well-groomed man is really the one who talked with
+us out on the river at Cairo, and who afterwards
+captured the <i>Rambler</i> by holding a gun about the
+size of a cannon on me,� Clay declared.</p>
+
+<p>“And the man who bespoke kind treatment for
+Chet, the waif,� Alex. went on. “I guess we’re
+both seeing things not present to the senses! There
+ain’t no such man!�</p>
+
+<p>“It can’t be!� Clay tried to convince himself.
+“It can’t be the same man!�</p>
+
+<p>Yet he knew deep down in his heart that it was the
+same man! If there had been any doubt of the
+complete identification at the start, there was none
+when the man spoke to the cashier in the full, deep
+voice which Clay knew that he had heard while he
+was tied up in the cabin of the <i>Rambler</i>!</p>
+
+<p>“I have heard that river thieves sometimes make
+up to look like bankers and high-up politicians,�
+Alex. whispered.</p>
+
+<p>“And I have heard that bankers and high-up
+politicians occasionally assume the disguises of river
+characters for some purpose of their own,� Clay returned.</p>
+
+<p>“Do they mix with murderers and steal motor
+boats when they do that?� asked Alex., with a provoking
+snicker. “’Cause if they do, this may be
+one of the high-ups!�</p>
+
+<p>“He must recognize us,� Clay went on. “Watch
+and see if you catch in him any signs of joy at the
+meeting!�</p>
+
+<p>“He hasn’t yet shown that he knows we are in the
+room,� Alex. replied.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s one way to find out who he is,� Clay
+suggested. “When he leaves here, you follow him
+until he enters some house or office and ask questions
+about him after he goes on. I’ll do the same
+here—that is, I’ll see what the cashier knows about
+him.�</p>
+
+<p>Alex., glad of an opportunity of showing what he
+could accomplish as a detective, readily agreed to
+this arrangement, and, the man leaving the restaurant
+at the moment, Alex. darted away after him,
+leaving Clay to question the cashier.</p>
+
+<p>The big man, still in the company of his two companions,
+walked briskly toward the river front, after
+leaving the restaurant, and finally came to a stop at
+a pier some distance down the stream from that at
+which the motor boat lay. Alex. watched the three
+men shake hands gravely and part, the one he believed
+to be Red going on board a small steamer
+which lay close by with smoke pouring from her
+stacks.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� thought the boy, “shall I give it up, or
+shall I sneak on board the boat and see what I can
+learn of this man who poses as a river pirate one
+day and as a gentleman of great respectability the
+next?�</p>
+
+<p>Alex.’s horse sense told him to wait about the
+pier until some one came off the boat and engage
+that person in conversation in an effort to learn the
+identity of the man he was following, but his natural
+love of adventure told him to make his way on board
+and learn there what he could, not only of the man,
+but of the steamer and its destination and cargo.</p>
+
+<p>The spirit of adventure won, and Alex., waiting
+until there was no one in sight on the freight deck,
+ventured on board. There was still no one in sight
+when he reached the staircase leading to the cabin,
+and he proceeded to climb up, listening between steps
+for indications of human life.</p>
+
+<p>He found the indications he sought with a vengeance
+at the head of the stairs. As he stepped up
+a husky negro seized him by the collar and dragged
+him toward the prow. Alex. kicked and struggled
+to no purpose. The negro was too strong for him.
+All the time he was carrying him along, almost as
+he would have carried a kitten, the negro kept up a
+running fire of comment.</p>
+
+<p>The boy gathered from this comment that he was
+regarded as a sneak thief, and tried more than once
+to explain, but the negro kept on talking to himself
+and paid no attention to the words of his prisoner.
+Alex. administered a sturdy kick and gave it up.</p>
+
+<p>Presently a door was opened at the very front end
+of the cabin and the boy was thrust into a small
+stateroom. The force of his entrance sent him
+against a berth and he crawled up and lay down to
+think things over. He heard the door behind him
+locked.</p>
+
+<p>“This is a pretty kettle of fish!� grunted the boy,
+as he looked about the room.</p>
+
+<p>It was just an ordinary stateroom, with one bunk,
+a dresser, and a chair. The window looking out on
+deck was covered by green slat-blinds, and ornamental
+metal-work covered the glass panel of the
+door opening into the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>After taking in the room in all its details, Alex.
+arose and tried to open the green blinds so as to get
+a look outside. To his surprise he found that they
+would not open. They were of steel, and were there
+to protect the window! The room was as stoutly
+guarded as a prison cell!</p>
+
+<p>“Red, the Robber, seems to have use for a cell,�
+the boy thought, “that is, if this is his boat! I wonder
+what he thinks he’s going to do with me?�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. had now no doubt that Red had recognized
+Clay and himself at the restaurant. He wondered if
+Clay, too, had been trapped! He could not make
+up his mind as to whether the man was a robber or a
+gentleman of business standing, but he knew that
+he was in a most undesirable situation.</p>
+
+<p>Then he began to wonder if Red knew that he was
+on board! The man had given no intimation that he
+had knowledge of being followed. He, Alex., had
+sneaked on board, like a veritable wharf rat, and
+the husky negro had been fully justified in taking
+him into custody! Still, the negro should have listened
+to his explanations and given him a chance to
+prove his innocence.</p>
+
+<p>This last view of the case was much more to the
+liking of the boy than the previous one, for Red had
+shown a friendly spirit while on board the <i>Rambler</i>,
+and might now set him free as soon as informed of
+his capture. Clay had permitted Red his freedom
+under much more trying conditions!</p>
+
+<p>“If he’s a river thief,� Alex. concluded, “he’ll
+keep me here until he is sure I can’t injure him by
+telling of his raid on the motor boat, but if he is on
+the level—if he was, for some purpose of his own,
+masquerading while in company with Sam—he will
+release me as soon as he knows I am here—for
+Clay’s sake, if not for my own!�</p>
+
+<p>This was a rather comforting conclusion, so the
+boy began beating with all his might on the panels
+of the door. He pounded away for some moments
+without hearing the least response, and then sat
+down to rest.</p>
+
+<p>While he sat there on the berth, panting from his
+unnoticed exertions, the boat quivered in all its timbers,
+the noise of escaping steam reached his ears,
+and then he knew that the steamer was under way.
+This was the worst thing that could happen to the
+boy, and he knew it.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer might go to Cuba, or to the upper
+reaches of the Missouri or the Mississippi, separating
+him from his chums for weeks. If Red really
+was a robber, he would not take the chance of releasing
+him, for that would give him an opportunity
+to warn those on board the <i>Rambler</i>, as well as to
+report to the police the illegal seizure of the motor
+boat!</p>
+
+<p>“I’m going to find out about this!� Alex. declared,
+springing off the berth. “I’m going to do
+an English suffragette stunt and smash windows!�</p>
+
+<p>As his whole mind was set on making a noise so
+as to attract the attention of the man he had followed
+on board, the boy was by no means conservative in
+his next move.</p>
+
+<p>First he took the light-framed chair which stood
+by the berth and smashed it against the fancy metal
+work which protected the glass panel. The chair
+went to pieces without touching the glass, so Alex.
+took up a slender leg and, poking it through in between
+the metal work, punched out the pane.</p>
+
+<p>It fell back into the cabin with a rattle, and then
+Alex., putting his face close to the opening, let out a
+yell which would have done credit to an Apache Indian
+on the warpath! In the meantime the steamer
+was backing out into the current.</p>
+
+<p>“I guess that will let ’em know they have a
+cabin passenger!� Alex. grunted, as he began tossing
+the fragments of the chair out on the cabin
+floor.</p>
+
+<p>The boy was just considering the firing of his
+automatic, which had not been taken from him by
+the negro, when a heavy voice near at hand broke
+into a hearty laugh, and the face of the red-headed
+man appeared before the opening, half-shielded by an
+arm, for the boy was still looking for things to throw
+through.</p>
+
+<p>“What seems to be the difficulty?� the man
+asked, and Alex. thought he saw a twinkle of humor
+in the blue eyes fixed upon him.</p>
+
+<p>“No difficulty at all,� Alex. answered, with a
+touch of irony in his tone. “I’m just doing this for
+exercise, and to make business for boat builders!�</p>
+
+<p>“Of course,� laughed the man, “you wouldn’t
+come out if I should unlock the door?�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, I don’t know,� Alex. replied. “I’ve got a
+good deal of work to do in here yet, and I might
+bring back an axe to help out.�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll find that the berth is of steel,� the red-headed
+man said. “You can’t chop that up. How
+long will it take you to finish the dresser? I might
+come back and let you out as soon as you have got
+through with that!�</p>
+
+<p>“All right!� grinned the boy, “anything to
+oblige,� and he went at the dresser with the leg of a
+chair!</p>
+
+<p>The giant unlocked the door, stepped inside, and,
+taking Alex. by the ear, marched him out of the
+wrecked room. Once in the cabin he let go of the
+ear and walked toward the stern with a hand on the
+boy’s arm.</p>
+
+<p>“You wasn’t so giddy the last time I saw you!�
+declared the boy.</p>
+
+<p>The man laughed, opened the door of a large
+stateroom toward the stern, pushed the boy inside,
+and stepped in after him. This was a handsome
+room, elaborately furnished. Alex. dropped into a
+chair and looked about.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer now seemed to be making fast time
+down the river, and Alex. looked out of a window in
+the hope of seeing the location of the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� he finally asked, wrinkling his freckled
+nose at the man, “what is the answer to this? I
+give it up!�</p>
+
+<p>“What was it you boys put in the deposit box at
+the bank?� asked the man.</p>
+
+<p>“I didn’t put anything in; I didn’t go to any
+bank.�</p>
+
+<p>“But your chum did. You met him at the bank
+entrance, and brought him back to look at me!
+You know what he put in the vault box. What was
+it?�</p>
+
+<p>“It was a long package marked bonds,� was the
+boy’s reply.</p>
+
+<p>“But did the package contain bonds?�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know; I never saw the inside of it,� answered
+Alex., wondering if this man had followed
+all their movements since being allowed to leave the
+<i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps the lad you call Clay will tell,� smiled
+the giant. “Or the boys on the <i>Rambler</i> may give
+the information I seek—when you both fail to return
+to-night.�</p>
+
+<p>“So you’ve got Clay, too, have you?� shouted
+Alex., and he make a rush for the door!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink15'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XV—THE LEATHER BAG MISSING</a></h2>
+
+<p>When Clay went to the cashier’s desk to pay the
+check for the meals the two boys had eaten, also
+with a view of finding out what was known there of
+the red-headed man, he asked the first question
+which came into his mind.</p>
+
+<p>“Is that the sheriff—the tall man with the red
+hair?�</p>
+
+<p>The cashier eyed the boy keenly for a moment
+and then answered the question by asking one, as
+many who wait on the public have a habit of doing.</p>
+
+<p>“Why? Do you want to see the sheriff?� he
+asked, suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>Clay was provoked, but tried not to show it as he
+replied,</p>
+
+<p>“I thought I knew the man, that’s all. Perhaps
+I was mistaken, for he would have recognized me,
+I’m certain, if he had ever seen me before.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, that’s not the sheriff,� the cashier replied,
+more civilly; “I don’t know who he is. He came
+in here this forenoon, for the first time, with those
+two men, and he has been in here twice since. There
+are others with him, too, for people kept coming
+in and making reports of some kind to him. One
+made a sign to him, through the glass, while you
+were eating. He may be a crook, for all I know.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay thanked the cashier and went away, turning
+in the direction of the river front immediately. At
+the next corner he came face to face with the
+cashier of the bank where he had secured the deposit
+box. The banker extended a hand in greeting.</p>
+
+<p>“I was just wishing,� he said, “that I could run
+across you this afternoon. I have a little spare time,
+and I’d like to look over that wonderful boat of
+yours. Not long ago I saw a full-page description
+of your river trips in a Chicago newspaper.�</p>
+
+<p>“Come along, then,� Clay replied. “You’ll have
+a good chance to see it by daylight if you go now.
+It isn’t very much of a boat, but we’re proud of
+it. It is just an ordinary motor boat, with electrical
+attachments which provide for lighting and cooking.
+There’s also a little refrigerator, cooled by
+water, and a container for holding electricity in
+storage, so we have plenty of light when the boat is
+not running. But come along and take a look at
+it.�</p>
+
+<p>As the two walked arm-in-arm down the street
+two men fell in behind them, moving as they moved,
+fast or slow, and stopping whenever the cashier
+drew up to explain some city feature to the boy.
+After a couple of blocks of this work, the two
+walked faster and, coming in advance of the two
+they had followed, turned about and greeted the
+cashier warmly. They were promptly introduced
+to Clay as Hilton and Carney.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re just going to the river to look over the
+<i>Rambler</i>, the famous motor boat we have talked so
+much about,� Benson, the cashier said. “If Mr.
+Emmett, here, has no objections, I’d like to have
+you go along with us.�</p>
+
+<p>“No objections whatever,� Clay responded.
+“There isn’t much to see, but such as it is you are
+welcome to have a look.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay did not observe the significant look which
+passed from the cashier to the two men, as they
+walked along toward the boat. They soon reached
+the pier and went aboard the <i>Rambler</i>, finding Case,
+Chet, Jule and Mose there. The bear cub attracted
+a great deal of attention, and Chet seemed to take
+special interest in the doings of the party.</p>
+
+<p>The three men did not hurry themselves at all,
+but took their time about everything. They inspected
+the bunks and the cupboard, and even looked
+into the storage places under the decks and the cabin
+floor.</p>
+
+<p>Clay was with them most of the time, but now
+and then they halted and conversed together in low
+tones, so, of course, the boy dropped away from the
+group. He considered this a strange proceeding on
+the part of the guests, but said nothing.</p>
+
+<p>Finally they asked Clay all sorts of questions
+about their progress down the river, when they left
+Rock Island, when they touched at St. Louis, and
+when they reached Cairo. The boy, though wondering,
+answered the rather personal questions
+frankly.</p>
+
+<p>It was almost dark when the visitors left the boat.
+Their last visit had been made to the cabin, to inspect
+the electric stove, and they passed the boys on
+the prow as they went ashore. For a time after their
+departure the boys discussed the unusual conduct of
+the visitors, and then Chet and Clay went in to prepare
+supper.</p>
+
+<p>Taking advantage of a momentary absence of
+Chet from the cabin, Clay looked in the hiding-place
+where he had left the leather bag in which the diamonds
+had been brought on shore. The bag was
+gone! Clay hastened out on deck to meet two astonished
+boys.</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� Case said, “what’s come over Chet? He
+came out of the cabin like a shot and jumped off on
+the pier. Then, without even stopping to look back,
+he ran down into the city! What have you been
+doing to him?�</p>
+
+<p>Clay stood for a moment like one incapable of
+speech, then he dropped into a deck-chair and
+laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. Captain
+Joe and Teddy joined the others in their
+criticism of his strange actions.</p>
+
+<p>“You didn’t get too many high balls while in the
+city, did you?� asked Case.</p>
+
+<p>“You might have kept sober enough to bring
+Alex. back with you!� Jule put in.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah believe yo’ done scare dat lad off de boat!�
+little Mose suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay explained, presently, “I suppose I
+ought to treat the matter more seriously, for we
+may have lost Chet for good, but it is funny for all
+that.�</p>
+
+<p>“Why don’t you pass it around?� demanded
+Case. “Let us in on the laugh!�</p>
+
+<p>“You all know what I did with the articles we
+found on Chet,� Clay responded. “Well, when I
+took the valuables out of the leather bag, I put burrs
+from the repair kit and pieces of broken dishes into
+the bag and hid it where I thought Chet might find
+it if he looked long enough.�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t see anything funny in that,� observed
+Case, with a frown.</p>
+
+<p>“Just wait! When I looked for the bag, just
+now, it was gone, and the next thing I hear is that
+Chet has taken to his heels. You see what has happened!�</p>
+
+<p>“The poor little chap!� exclaimed Case. “I’m
+sorry for him.�</p>
+
+<p>“So am I,� Clay agreed, “but he ought to have
+been honest with us.�</p>
+
+<p>“We knew what to expect,� Jule suggested.
+“He said he’d get the gems back if he could, didn’t
+he? Now he thinks he’s got them, and is lugging
+off a lot of truck not worth a cent! I call that a
+shame!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay looked thoughtful for a second and then
+burst out:</p>
+
+<p>“But is he? Look here, fellows,� he went on, excitedly,
+“suppose he never took the bag at all! Suppose
+Chet found it and changed his mind about running
+off with it! Suppose one of the visitors took
+it! Suppose that is what they were here for; suppose
+Chet missed it as soon as they went away and
+chased on after them!�</p>
+
+<p>“You said the visitors were bankers!� exploded
+Jule. “What about that?�</p>
+
+<p>“One of them was, but I don’t know anything
+about the others. Strange they should all be so eager
+to inspect the <i>Rambler</i>! Strange they should get
+off by themselves and talk in whispers! I reckon
+we’re knee-deep in mystery!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, where did you leave Alex.?� asked Jule.
+“He hasn’t come back yet!�</p>
+
+<p>“And here’s another funny thing,� Clay went on,
+without answering the question, directly. “We saw
+Red, the Robber, up town, dressed like a gentleman!
+Alex. followed him out of the place where we saw
+him, and may have got into trouble!�</p>
+
+<p>“Then the stealing of the bag is Red’s work!�
+decided Case. “No need to guess about that any
+more! How he got his men in with the banker I
+don’t know, but he did it, and one of them took it,
+and poor Chet saw that it was gone, and now he is
+following a bag filled with crockery about the city!�</p>
+
+<p>“Pshaw!� Jule exclaimed. “It is dollars to
+doughnuts that Chet got the bag himself! He said
+he’d swipe it if he got a chance. You all know
+that!�</p>
+
+<p>A figure now came dashing down the pier at
+break-neck speed and Alex. leaped on the deck and
+dropped into a chair, wiping the sweat from his face.</p>
+
+<p>“Did you find who he was?� asked Clay, as the
+boys all gathered around Alex.</p>
+
+<p>Alex. told the story of the steamer and the
+wrecked stateroom, and ended with the talk he had
+had with Red, while the boys looked on in wonder
+at the odd twist things were getting into. Even
+Teddy Bear seemed impressed by the mystery, Jule
+declared!</p>
+
+<p>“And how did you get away from him?� demanded
+Case. “How did you get back here?�</p>
+
+<p>“I jumped and ran, and he caught me,� was the
+reply. “Then he made me promise not to say a
+word about his escapade on the <i>Rambler</i> and let me
+go! Can you beat it?�</p>
+
+<p>“What did he have you locked up for?� asked
+Clay. “I don’t understand that.�</p>
+
+<p>“Just because he wanted that promise,� Alex.
+suggested. “Is that the answer?�</p>
+
+<p>“It may be,� Clay admitted, “but here’s the
+question: Is he a robber or a detective? Is he on
+the level, or is he just a clever scoundrel?�</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps Alex. can judge better of that when he
+knows what has taken place here,� Case suggested,
+going on with the story of the disappearance of the
+leather bag.</p>
+
+<p>“Red’s gang got it,� laughed Alex., without a moment’s
+hesitation, as Case finished the story. “He
+knew Clay put something in the bank, and asked me
+what it was. Yes, we know all about it now!�</p>
+
+<p>“I just believe Chet took the bag, thinking the
+gems were in it,� insisted Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll never know the truth until we find the
+lad,� Clay said, with a sigh.</p>
+
+<p>“Unless Red, the Robber, shows up again in a
+confidential mood,� Alex. laughed.</p>
+
+<p>“If the supplies I ordered are all in,� Clay went
+on, “I think we’d better be on our way. There’s
+mystery in the very air here!�</p>
+
+<p>“If we stay here long,� Alex. prophesied, “the
+coon I biffed on the shin may show up, lookin’ for
+revenge, or Red may come after pay for the furniture
+I smashed!�</p>
+
+<p>“What did he say about that furniture?� grinned
+Jule. “You’ve got the nerve!�</p>
+
+<p>“He never mentioned it,� was the reply. “Say,�
+the lad went on, “I believe that chap is all to the
+good, after all! He seemed to think the smash act
+was funny.�</p>
+
+<p>During the afternoon Case and Mose had caught
+a large fish and Chet had succeeded in bringing
+down a wild duck, so the cooking of supper was an
+elaborate affair. Then Clay made light biscuits and
+coffee, and fried potatoes, and the boys were as
+happy as well-fed boys with no one to “boss,� usually
+are, except that they missed Chet.</p>
+
+<p>After supper they discussed the proposition of
+waiting there a day in the hope of finding the runaway
+boy, but it was finally decided that he could
+find them easier than they could find him, so they
+started the motors and went on toward the Gulf.</p>
+
+<p>The early part of the night was bright, so the
+boys ran down about twenty miles, as the river ran,
+and then tied up below a “tow-head� which stuck
+up out of the water below an island of good size.
+They found it necessary to take this precaution always,
+for the wash of large steamers passing up and
+down would have rattled things in the <i>Rambler</i>, if
+the motor boat was not capsized.</p>
+
+<p>At midnight the sky became overcast with threatening
+clouds and the wind blew in fitful gusts.
+There seemed to be no danger of their being disturbed
+by visitors that night, but all the same they
+thought best to station a watchman, and Case volunteered
+to keep awake and see that “no one flew
+away with the boat,� as he expressed it.</p>
+
+<p>Somewhere about two o’clock in the morning, the
+boy, who was having hard work keeping awake,
+heard the puff and bellow of an approaching
+steamer, toiling up against the strong current. Almost
+at the same instant he felt a jar, as if the boat
+had been struck by floating driftwood. He switched
+on the prow light to see what was doing, but quickly
+extinguished it as the steamer came up and a heavy
+rowboat dropped away from her!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink16'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XVI—WHAT DROPPED ON DECK</a></h2>
+
+<p>“I guess my turning on that light started something!�
+the boy mused, as he darkened the small
+electric globe in the cabin and sat down to await
+developments. He kept just inside the cabin door at
+first, for the wind was cold and searching.</p>
+
+<p>For a few moments he could hear the working of
+oars and the push of the current on an advancing
+boat, and then all was silent save the sighing of the
+wind and the wash of the river, still burdened at
+times with floating wreckage. It seemed to him that
+the boat which had slipped away from the steamer
+had anchored somewhere near the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“I fully believe,� Case grunted, as he finally left
+the cabin and looked out upon the dim river from the
+deck, “that if we should fly through the air on a
+cloud there would be some scamp watching us from
+another cloud! It’s rotten, the way we are chased
+about!�</p>
+
+<p>The boy did not know that his complaint had
+found words until he heard a chuckle close to his
+side and turned about to faintly distinguish the
+freckled face of Alex., who stood looking over the
+river to the south.</p>
+
+<p>“You’ve got no kick coming!� Alex. declared.
+“You wouldn’t go on these river trips if we found
+nothing more than scenery, any more than I would!
+It seems like living to be chased about, as you call it!
+If it wasn’t for the mystery and adventure in the
+jaunts I’d be at home in little old Chicago—and
+that’s where you’d be, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Case returned, “I’d like to get one night
+off occasionally!�</p>
+
+<p>“What is it now?� asked Alex. “I heard the
+steamer pass, but that didn’t mean anything to me.
+What’s going wrong now? Tell your old uncle
+Alex. all about it!�</p>
+
+<p>“Uncle nothing!� laughed Case, restored to better
+humor by the optimism of the other. “If you
+want to know what’s on the string, go and get a
+glass and try to find a rowboat in this mess of river
+and black sky. A safety razor that won’t cut air
+will be given to the first one that discovers the
+boat!�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh!� cried Alex. “There’s a boat watching
+us! All right! Now I feel better! I was beginning
+to wonder when we’d have something to stir us up!�</p>
+
+<p>“The boat dropped off when the steamer went
+up,� Case explained. “I saw it under the lights,
+but of course it vanished in the darkness as soon
+as the big boat passed.�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s something going on, then!� Alex. declared.
+“Of course they wouldn’t know on board
+the steamer in the dark, that we were here, and so
+the thing which is going to happen is set to come off
+on shore. I’m going to stay awake and see what it
+is.�</p>
+
+<p>“You see,� Case stated, hesitatingly, “I heard a
+bump on the hull of the <i>Rambler</i>, just as the steamer
+was churning into sight, around that bend, and
+turned on the prow light to see about it! That’s
+why the rowboat dropped off here, I take it.�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. gave vent to a long, low whistle.</p>
+
+<p>“Then we’ve got into the spot-light again!� he
+said. “It won’t be any trouble for me to keep
+awake now! Shall we tell Clay the glad news, or
+let him sleep?�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, let him sleep! We can run this watch, all
+right!�</p>
+
+<p>While the boys whispered and listened, the long,
+bellowing roar of a locomotive whistle came to their
+ears from the east. Then came the distant rumble
+of a train.</p>
+
+<p>“What do you make of that?� asked Case. “I
+thought we were in the heart of a wild river country,
+and here come a train of cars—palace cars, I’ll go
+you, at that!�</p>
+
+<p>“About three or four miles from the river, in the
+state of Mississippi,� laughed Alex., “runs the old
+Yazoo &amp; Mississippi railroad. There are little towns
+all along its line. Perhaps the boat dropped off the
+steamer to make one of the country bergs! We
+never thought of that, did we?�</p>
+
+<p>Case pulled the other by the arm and both drew
+away from the gunwale.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s a boat out there now,� he declared, in a
+whisper. “I heard the tunk of an oar then! I’ll
+bet they are trying to get on board!�</p>
+
+<p>“Got your gun?� asked Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Sure thing I have,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“And your searchlight?�</p>
+
+<p>“You know it!�</p>
+
+<p>“So have I,� Alex. went on. “Now, if they try
+to board the <i>Rambler</i>, we’ll lie low until they begin
+to climb over the rail. Then we’ll turn on our electrics.
+If they are strangers, and look like river
+pirates, we’ll shoot them up! What?�</p>
+
+<p>“But why not turn on the prow light?� asked
+Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Because we can handle the electric flashlights
+quicker. If we have to show the light and shoot,
+be quick to change your position after the light is
+switched off. Then, if they shoot back, they won’t
+hit you.�</p>
+
+<p>There was a boat approaching. There was no
+doubt about that. And the people on board of her
+were doing their best to keep their movements from
+being known by those of the <i>Rambler</i>. Case and
+Alex. could hear the dash of oars, and now and then
+a rough command. The two boys sat in silence and
+waited.</p>
+
+<p>Then, as Case and Alex. afterward complained,
+something happened which “spoilt all the fun!�
+Captain Joe came out of the cabin and gave forth a
+series of threatening growls, and Teddy added to
+the warning by saying things in bear talk!</p>
+
+<p>The mysterious boat came on no longer. There
+were still sounds of the working of a heavy craft in
+a strong current, but these gradually died out.</p>
+
+<p>“I’d like to throw you both into the river after
+them!� Alex. scolded at the animals, as they came
+around him, asking to be congratulated on their
+success in driving off the visitors! “Now we’ll be
+haunted by those fellows for a week, while if you
+had kept quiet we’d have settled with them right
+here!�</p>
+
+<p>“Suppose we turn on the power and chase ’em
+up?� asked Case.</p>
+
+<p>“And give them a chance to do all the shooting!�
+replied Alex. scornfully. “I’m not looking for a
+watery grave in the Mississippi.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Case continued, “if you don’t want to
+follow them up, just to see what they look like, perhaps
+we’d better drop down a short distance. If we
+can’t fight them, we don’t want to feel that they’re
+right under our noses, waiting for a chance to get
+us into a hole! I’d rather face a hundred men in
+the open than know that one was skulking about me
+in the darkness!�</p>
+
+<p>“This is a fierce old stream for strangers to travel
+on in the dark!� Alex. said.</p>
+
+<p>“I know it, but——�</p>
+
+<p>Before the boy could finish the sentence a faint
+jar came, as if some person had caught hold of
+the anchor chain and given it a pull, or hung his
+weight on it.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s our friend!� Case whispered. “Now,
+get ready with your gun!�</p>
+
+<p>In a second, while the boys listened, they heard a
+hard substance fall on the deck. Alex.’s light flashed
+around the gunwale, but there was no one in sight.</p>
+
+<p>In the middle of the deck, however, still dripping
+from the river, lay the leather bag which had held
+the diamonds, and which had held only burrs and
+broken crockery when last seen on board the <i>Rambler</i>!
+Alex. picked it up, found that it was still half
+full of some hard substances, and shut off the light.</p>
+
+<p>“You saw it?� he asked of Case, as he cuddled
+down by the boy’s side.</p>
+
+<p>“Of course! The leather bag!�</p>
+
+<p>“What do you think of it?� demanded Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t think!� admitted Case. “I’ve lost the
+power of thought!�</p>
+
+<p>“But what did they throw it back here for?� insisted
+Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Why did who throw it back here?� chuckled
+Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Now, look here, Smarty,� Alex. continued.
+“There are only four persons who could have taken
+that bag from the boat, the cashier and his two
+friends, and Chet.�</p>
+
+<p>“Unless the dog ate it, or Teddy threw it overboard.�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, quit your foolishness! Now, which one of
+the four is out there in the river? Whoever it is has
+a sense of humor, for the tossing of the bag back
+shows that the situation is appreciated.�</p>
+
+<p>“You notice the steamer came UP the river?�
+asked Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Yes; what of it?� demanded Alex. “I don’t
+see anything in that.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, that shows that whoever threw the bag on
+deck came from down stream! It shows, too, that
+we have been watched every minute, for reasons
+which we don’t know anything about!�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, in order to keep track of us they might
+have taken the railroad down the river bank and
+then taken a steamer up, so as to meet us on the way
+down! I see something in it now. But who is it?�</p>
+
+<p>“It may be Chet!� suggested Case. “He may
+have returned the bag just to show us that he knows
+about the removal of the diamonds.�</p>
+
+<p>“I just believe Chet is out there somewhere, and
+that he would come on board if he knew we wouldn’t
+raise a row about the way he left us!� declared
+Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“I give it all up!� Case returned. “It’s your
+watch now, and I’m going to bed! If there’s anything
+good to eat thrown on deck out of the darkness,
+just wake me up, otherwise let me alone. I’ll
+hunt up my dream book to-morrow and find what it
+says about leather bags dropping out of the sky!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. sat alone in the dim night, watching the
+river and the dark bottom lands of the island for a
+long time before anything attracted his attention.
+Then a light, like that made by a camp-fire, sprang
+up on the Mississippi side of the river.</p>
+
+<p>He could see figures moving about in front of the
+blaze, but of course could not distinguish faces.
+Presently the low, weird chant of a plantation song
+came over the waters. It was evident that a gang of
+negroes, possibly railroad repair men, was passing
+the night in camp on the shore.</p>
+
+<p>As Alex. listened to the plaintive songs he heard
+a splash in the water at the side of the boat, and
+shot his light in that direction. A stick was floating
+away, and the boy concluded that it was that which
+had made the noise he had heard.</p>
+
+<p>He heard the negroes come to the bank of the
+river to gather driftwood for the fire, and heard
+their drawling voices saying something of the river
+going down fast, but could not catch the full import
+of their words.</p>
+
+<p>The companionship of the fire and the voices was
+something to the boy, and he sat until daylight began
+to show in perfect contentment. Then he went into
+the cabin to get a line, it being his idea to surprise
+the boys with a fish breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>He looked at the sleeping faces for a moment and
+started when he came to a rug in the corner where
+Mose usually slept! Captain Joe was there, his nose
+in his paws, but Mose was not there! Alex. searched
+the boat. The negro boy was gone! The amazed
+boy half pulled Clay out of his bunk and began the
+story of the night.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re not yet out of the enchanted land,� he
+said. “We are still seeing things! The leather bag
+comes back out of the sky, and Mose goes up in the
+air. I’m for getting down to the Gulf right soon.�</p>
+
+<p>“Have you looked in the bag for any solution of
+the puzzle?� asked Clay. “There may be a note of
+some kind there: a note of explanation. See?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes,� declared Alex., pointing over the side, and
+not answering the question about the bag, “I see
+that we are stuck in the mud, and not likely to get
+out until another flood, a year, or perhaps two years,
+off.�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink17'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XVII—GETTING OUT OF THE MUD</a></h2>
+
+<p>Clay’s face plainly expressed the dismay he felt
+as he bent over the gunwale and looked downward
+in the growing light of the morning. The <i>Rambler</i>
+lay in a bed of soft, oozy mud, with harder ground
+between her and the “tow-head.�</p>
+
+<p>“I presume,� Alex. said, “that the people of this
+country will be glad to see that the river lowered in
+the night! So are we?�</p>
+
+<p>“We ought to have provided against this,� Clay
+exclaimed, in self-reproach. “We might just as
+well have anchored a few yards farther down.
+What next, I wonder?�</p>
+
+<p>“The longer we wait before getting the motor
+boat into the water,� Alex. said, “the harder work
+it will be, for the river is lowering every minute.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay scratched his head and estimated the distance
+to deep water.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll have to put on our bathing suits and take
+to the mud,� he decided. “By all taking hold, we
+may be able to get her out of this mess. Nice job it
+is, too!�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure!� Alex. grinned. “Mud baths are healthful!
+There’s Mike Cogan, the Chicago politician,
+he goes to take mud baths twice a year! If we had
+him here now we wouldn’t charge him a cent for his
+cure! I think he’d like it, too.�</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll wake Case and Jule, and we’ll get right at
+it,� Clay said. “I wish a lot of husky plantation
+hands would happen along in a shanty boat.�</p>
+
+<p>“There was a group of them over on the Mississippi
+side last night,� Alex. explained. “We might
+get them, if they are there yet. Say,� he continued,
+with a grin, “I believe that is where the little coon
+went! He saw the camp-fire and heard the plantation
+songs, and couldn’t remain away from his own
+people!�</p>
+
+<p>“In that case,� Clay suggested, “the little rascal
+will be back soon.�</p>
+
+<p>“Never can tell about boys of the Mose stripe,�
+Alex. predicted. “He may follow the men off and
+never show up here again.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay started for the cabin to arouse Case and Jule
+and then turned back to ask:</p>
+
+<p>“Did that pocket book—the bag, rather, that had
+the diamonds in, make its appearance before or after
+Mose disappeared?�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know when Mose lit out,� was the reply.
+“At one time I heard a splash in the river and looked
+to see what it was about, but Mose was not in sight
+then. There was only a large stick floating in the
+stream. Still, he might have gone at that time. If
+he did, he left long after the bag was thrown on
+deck. What about it?�</p>
+
+<p>“I was thinking that he might have followed off
+the person who threw the bag,� Clay explained,
+“though I can’t understand why he should have
+gone away so secretly. Did the dog make any remarks
+about the time the bag reached the deck?�</p>
+
+<p>“Nix on Captain Joe! He’s getting too sleepy!
+He stirred only once in the night, and that was when
+the boat was coming up to us. He frightened the
+pirates away, when Case and I had planned to shoot
+’em up!�</p>
+
+<p>“Then,� concluded Clay, “when we reach the
+truth of it, we’ll discover that it was Chet who was
+around here last night, and who threw the bag on
+deck. You know we have been thinking, all along,
+that he might have taken it.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s what Jule insists on,� Alex. returned,
+“while the rest of us think one of the visitors took
+it, and that Chet chased off the boat to get it back,
+not knowing that the diamonds had been taken out
+of it.�</p>
+
+<p>“It seems clear now,� Clay replied, “that Chet
+took it. In the first place, there is no good reason
+for supposing that the visitors would find the bag,
+or take it if they did find it; or take any trouble to
+return it after they had found its contents of no
+value. Chet got it, all right, and, disappointed and
+chagrined at the substitution we had made, he lost
+no time in throwing it back at us.�</p>
+
+<p>“Chet was broke, wasn’t he?� asked Alex., with
+a sly grin.</p>
+
+<p>“So far as I know, yes. Anyway, he didn’t look
+like a millionaire when we took him on board and
+fixed him out with a suit of your clothes!�</p>
+
+<p>“Then how would he ride up the river in a
+steamer, or ride down the river to the next town to
+take the steamer, or hire a rowboat and pay the
+captain of the steamer for letting him off in his boat
+as soon as he saw the light of the <i>Rambler</i>?�</p>
+
+<p>“You smash all my solutions,� laughed Clay.
+“Now, give me one of your own, so I can smash
+that,�</p>
+
+<p>“I ain’t no prophet!� grinned the red-headed
+boy, “but I’m gambling that when we get down to
+the bottom of matters we’ll find Red, the Robber, in
+the mess!�</p>
+
+<p>“We have already found him in the mess,�
+laughed Clay. “He knew, according to your story,
+that I had put something in the safety vaults! Besides,
+he seemed to own the steamer you were on,
+didn’t he?�</p>
+
+<p>“He seemed to be the boss.�</p>
+
+<p>“Suppose we quit guessing and get the <i>Rambler</i>
+out of the mud,� suggested Clay, then.</p>
+
+<p>Case and Jule were called out on deck, and the
+lads, clad only in their bathing suits, were soon wallowing
+in the soft mud, which was so deep that they
+could get no footing at all, and so could not lift on
+the boat. In fact, the more they tried to lift the
+boat, to slide it toward deep water, the deeper she
+seemed to sink.</p>
+
+<p>“We’re up against a beautiful proposition!� Jule
+exclaimed, climbing back on deck and leaning over
+the gunwale. “If we jar the boat any more, we’ll
+have to take a trip to China and pull it through
+from the other side!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay plowed out of the mud and made his way to
+the “tow-head� where he began examining the
+growth of willows. He seemed satisfied with what
+he saw, for he began cutting the long wands and
+called to the others to join him.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s doing?� asked Case.</p>
+
+<p>“This ain’t no island improvement corporation!�
+Alex. grinned.</p>
+
+<p>“I know what he’s up to!� Jule shouted, and in
+a second he was off the deck, cutting willows and
+throwing them into a heap at the edge of the hard
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ve got to make mattresses of these willows,�
+Jule declared, wiping the sweat from his face.
+“I read about that in a paper not long ago.�</p>
+
+<p>“To sleep on?� asked Alex., with a wink at Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Silly!� roared Jule. “Get busy, both of you.�</p>
+
+<p>When a great stack of the willow wands had been
+cut, Clay and Jule began roughly braiding them together.
+In this way two mattresses a foot in thickness
+and nearly twelve feet square were constructed
+before noon. During all this time the boys had seen
+nothing of Chet, of Mose, or of the negroes who had
+camped on the shore the previous night. They had
+also overlooked breakfast!</p>
+
+<p>The novelty of their employment had so engaged
+their attention that they felt no need of food until
+Teddy appeared on the deck sitting up like a man,
+begging for his breakfast! Then Alex. threw down
+the wands he was carrying to Clay, who was doing
+the weaving at that time, and sprang over to the
+boat with a chuckle of amusement.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re all right, Teddy Bear!� he cried. “We
+don’t know enough to eat when we’re hungry, do
+we? We’ll show ’em what it is to feed up right
+without delay.�</p>
+
+<p>“What you going to get for dinner?� demanded
+Jule, putting a hand to his stomach to show how
+empty it was. “I want a whale fried whole!�</p>
+
+<p>“Get your whale, then,� advised Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps you think I can’t!� laughed Jule.
+“Pass out my line and rod and I’ll show you
+whether I’m a fisherman or not!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. did as requested and Jule waded through
+the mud to where there was a bit of hard ground,
+next the island, with a little swirl of water close by.</p>
+
+<p>“Watch me now!� he cried.</p>
+
+<p>But the boys did not care to watch him. Case
+and Clay continued the work of braiding mattresses,
+and Alex. got out a gun and sat on deck watching
+for ducks, of which there were plenty in that vicinity.
+Presently a yell from Jule called the attention
+of the others to him. He was fighting a fish
+which seemed to the astonished boys to be not less
+than ten feet in length, and the fish was pulling him
+down stream.</p>
+
+<p>“Give me a hand!� the boy shouted. “He’s pulling
+me in!�</p>
+
+<p>“Let go the line!� cried Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“And lose it!� answered Jule. “Not much!
+Give me a hand!�</p>
+
+<p>Case and Clay both rushed to the boy’s assistance,
+and with great effort a monster fish was landed in
+the mud. Jule was jubilant.</p>
+
+<p>“The biggest catch of the trip!� he declared.
+“Who says I can’t produce a whale when I feel the
+need of a whole one fried?�</p>
+
+<p>Case and Clay leaned back and screamed with
+amusement. Alex. looked on with a grin which
+was more provoking than the laughter of the others.</p>
+
+<p>“Have all the fun you can,� roared Jule, “but
+don’t get gay!�</p>
+
+<p>“Throw him back into the river!� Clay advised,
+poking at the catch. “That is just a big catfish,
+and no one eats them save the negroes! They’re
+tougher than the tripe at Bill’s restaurant, in
+Chicago!�</p>
+
+<p>“I guess you won’t throw him away!� yelled
+Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“All right!� Clay answered. “Take him to bed
+with you, if you want to, but kindly see if you can’t
+get a bass for our dinner. There are plenty of them
+in here.�</p>
+
+<p>Reluctantly Jule started the catfish back toward
+his natural element, and the big fellow seemed to
+thank him with a parting wave of his tail as he took
+to the water. In a few moments he had a fine large
+bass, weighing six or eight pounds, and before long
+Alex. had a couple of ducks, so work was suspended
+while dinner was cooked and eaten. After the meal
+the work was continued until Case declared there
+were enough willow mattresses on hand to float a
+city.</p>
+
+<p>Then the mattresses were hauled alongside the
+<i>Rambler</i> and a considerable part of the cargo of the
+boat was put out on them. Thus lightened, and
+having a strong footing, the lads had no difficulty in
+pushing the <i>Rambler</i> out into deep water.</p>
+
+<p>“What shall we do with the mattresses now?�
+asked Clay, as the boat swung off the bottom. “We
+have spent too much time on them to throw them
+away!�</p>
+
+<p>“Tow them along,� advised Case. “It won’t
+cost us anything to tote them along, and we may
+have use for them. A man could build a tent on
+them, by fastening them together, and live there.
+I’m strong for taking them with us.�</p>
+
+<p>This was finally agreed to, and the boys were
+about to start down the stream again when a shout
+from the Mississippi side of the river attracted their
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s that little coon!� laughed Case. “See
+the rascal! He’s going to swim to the boat, or going
+to try to!�</p>
+
+<p>“He never can do it,� Clay declared. “We’ll
+have to swing the <i>Rambler</i> over that way and pick
+him up. He’s making a swift run, though!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Alex. replied, “just you look behind him
+and see what he’s running from.�</p>
+
+<p>Half a dozen negroes and one white man were
+now seen running down the river bank in pursuit of
+Mose. They seemed to redouble their exertions
+when the <i>Rambler</i> shot over toward the boy, but
+were obliged to halt when the boy was picked up
+and the boat went on down stream, towing the willow
+mattresses in her wake!</p>
+
+<p>Mose dropped down on deck, panting and rolling
+his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah’m scared white!� he chattered. “Fo’ de
+Lawd, dat’s de man what trun dis coon an’ Captain
+Joe into the ribber up no’th! Ah’s scared of him!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink18'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XVIII—SWEPT INTO A SWAMP</a></h2>
+
+<p>“Who threw you and Captain Joe into the river,
+up north?� demanded Jule. “Wake up and tell
+us what’s the matter with you. What were those
+people chasing you for?�</p>
+
+<p>Mose only sat up on deck and rolled his eyes as the
+<i>Rambler</i> increased the distance between the pursuers
+and himself. Seeing that he was now beyond their
+reach, he arose and leaned over the gunwale and
+made funny insulting faces at them.</p>
+
+<p>“What does he mean?� asked Jule, turning to
+Clay. “Who’s chasing him?�</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t you remember how Sam, the Robber, the
+fellow who, with Red, captured the <i>Rambler</i> in the
+bayou, threw the boy and the dog out, and how they
+lay in the grounds at the old house until dusk and
+then came to your rescue?� asked Clay. “You
+must have a poor memory, I think.�</p>
+
+<p>“I didn’t know whether it was Red or Sam who
+threw him in,� Jule explained.</p>
+
+<p>“So that’s Sam over there with the negroes?�
+questioned Alex. “What did you do to them,
+Mose? Where did you go last night? What do
+you mean by forming an exploring expedition all by
+yourself and having all the fun?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah went ’shore to hear de singin’,� the boy replied,
+“an’ dey cotch me stealin’ de yaller leg
+chicken, an’ say de’s goin’ to beat dis coon up
+plenty!�</p>
+
+<p>“You swam all that way to steal a chicken?�
+asked Jule. “Was it cooked?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yaller leg chicken!� insisted the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“Was it cooked?� persisted Jule. “Where did
+they get it?�</p>
+
+<p>“Dey say it done lef’ de roos’ an’ follow dem into
+camp!�</p>
+
+<p>“Did you eat a whole one?� asked Case. “A
+whole yellow-legged chicken?�</p>
+
+<p>Mose grinned and showed the whites of his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah shore did!� he replied, and Jule declared
+that he would willingly have helped him do it if he
+had only known about it!</p>
+
+<p>“What were they talking about last night?� asked
+Clay, as the <i>Rambler</i> turned a bend and lost sight
+of the negroes and Sam, still gesticulating fiercely,
+on the east shore.</p>
+
+<p>“They’re sho’ goin’ to get you-all!� was the
+reply. “They goin’ to steal dis boat, first thing you
+know. Ah’m scart ob dat white man!�</p>
+
+<p>The little fellow could tell very little of the talk
+he had heard while detained in the negro camp. He
+knew that Sam, the Robber, was there with the
+negroes, and that he was continually urging them to
+help him secure the <i>Rambler</i>, but that was all. Of
+their plans he knew nothing but this.</p>
+
+<p>During the afternoon the boys passed a great
+many steamers, going up the river, some with supplies
+for those who had been made homeless by the
+flood. Fortunately the levees had held, but the
+water had filled in back of them, in some instances
+and destroyed much property. The lagoons and
+swamps up river were still flooded, and in places
+farming land was still being washed away.</p>
+
+<p>All the way down, until night closed in, they saw
+gangs of negroes on the levees, fishing drift wood
+out of the water. In some instances small out-houses
+were brought out in good condition. One shanty
+boat the boys saw had the cupola of a house set up
+on the prow, and a farm bell in the top of it was
+ringing as the raft bobbed in the currents of the
+river. Now and then families were seen gathered
+on the levees, evidently waiting for a steamer to
+take them off.</p>
+
+<p>The boys kept up good speed until night and then
+tied up in a small cove on the lower side of an island,
+not far from the Mississippi side.</p>
+
+<p>“We have been going pretty fast,� Clay observed,
+as the boat was worked in behind a point so as to be
+out of the wash of the steamers. “We haven’t a
+thing to do until we get back to Chicago, and we
+can take all the time we want getting back. How is
+that for a peaceful life, Mose?� he added, turning to
+the little negro boy.</p>
+
+<p>Mose showed a mouthful of white teeth and a
+pair of chalk-white eyeballs.</p>
+
+<p>“It takes a corkscrew to get conversation out of
+Mose!� Jule observed.</p>
+
+<p>“I think I can make him talk,� laughed Alex.
+“Mose,� he went on, “I’ll give you a plate of honey
+for supper if you’ll tell me where Chet is and who
+threw the leather bag on deck last night?�</p>
+
+<p>“Some one fro’ what?� asked the little fellow.</p>
+
+<p>“Some one threw this on the boat in the night,�
+Alex. answered, handing the bag to the boy. “Did
+you hear any one around before you left?�</p>
+
+<p>The negro boy rolled his eyes for a minute then
+took the bag and held it under the nose of Captain
+Joe, who sniffed at it for a second and then walked
+back to the place in the cabin where Chet had slept.</p>
+
+<p>“De dawg sho’ know who fro’ dat bag!� he said,
+patting Captain Joe on the head.</p>
+
+<p>“That shows why the dog didn’t make a row
+when the person who threw it got close enough to
+the boat to heave it on deck!� Jule laughed.</p>
+
+<p>“It takes a little coon to find out things about
+animals!� grinned Alex. “Here we’ve been studying
+over who tossed the bag, and Mose settles the
+question in a minute. That is sure some coon!�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s an affinity between a boy and a dog,
+anyway!� Clay laughed.</p>
+
+<p>“I wonder if the kid is right?� Case questioned.</p>
+
+<p>The boys discussed the matter during supper, and,
+right or wrong, Mose was given his plate of honey,
+which he was obliged to divide with Teddy!</p>
+
+<p>The night passed away without incident, and
+early morning found the <i>Rambler</i> on her way to the
+Gulf again. The day was not different from other
+days for a week. The boys passed plantations and
+villages, swamps and lagoons, which seemed to have
+escaped the force of the flood, but now and then
+came to a wrecked cabin toppling from a bank.</p>
+
+<p>They secured a supply of gasoline at a small
+place near the Arkansas line and at night found
+themselves in the heart of a desolate country. When
+they tied up they were at the mouth of a lagoon
+which seemed to lead into a great swamp.</p>
+
+<p>“It is a sure thing that no leather bags will be
+thrown on deck to-night,� Clay observed, as supper
+was prepared. “We are even off the track of the
+steamers, for they seem to stick to the opposite side
+of the stream.�</p>
+
+<p>“This would be a dandy spot for a band of river
+pirates to inhabit,� Jule added.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t talk about pirates!� admonished Clay.
+“You’ll have Mose turning white again. Some
+day he’ll turn so white with fright that he will never
+turn black again, and he wouldn’t like that, would
+you, Mose?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah’s ’tented wif mah color,� answered the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s all right, as long as you are on the boat,�
+Alex. put in, “but you jump into the lagoon and
+see how long you’ll last. An alligator will leave a
+fat pig any time to make a dinner off a black boy!�</p>
+
+<p>“Quit scaring the boy!� exclaimed Case. “First
+thing you know, he will be afraid to swim ashore to
+steal a yellow-legged chicken roasted by tramps!�</p>
+
+<p>When darkness fell a soft wind came out of the
+west and a slow rain began falling. It was wild and
+uncanny outside, but bright and warm in the cabin.
+Alex. entertained his chums for a time with stories
+of the Mississippi, and explained how Grant had
+shortened the stream by cutting a new channel at
+Vicksburg, but all were tired, and by nine o’clock all
+were asleep save Jule, who was to stand guard that
+night, and Mose who was moving restlessly about.</p>
+
+<p>“Come on into the cabin, Mose,� Jule finally
+ordered, “and go to bed, like a good coon! You’ll
+get wet out on deck!�</p>
+
+<p>The boy entered the cabin and sat down near the
+stove, in which a small fire was burning. Jule regarded
+him attentively.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s the matter with you to-night?� he finally
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah hear a roar!� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s the wind in the cypress trees,� Jule explained.</p>
+
+<p>“Is it de win’ makes de ribber come up?� asked
+Mose, in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>“Is the river rising?� asked Jule, going to the
+door and switching on the prow light. “It ought
+to be running down.�</p>
+
+<p>By the light of the electric the boy saw that the
+river was indeed rising. Little knolls which were
+above water when the boat had been anchored were
+now under a swift current. The river was sweeping
+past the mouth of the lagoon with a new force.</p>
+
+<p>Presently trees and wreckage of different sorts
+were seen drifting down, and there came a rushing
+sound which added greatly to the weirdness of the
+scene.</p>
+
+<p>“This beats me!� Jule muttered. “The flood
+has been going down for nearly a week. There
+must have been heavy rains up to the north, and at
+the sources of the rivers emptying into the Mississippi.
+I wonder if it will do anything to us?�</p>
+
+<p>At that moment a timber crashed against the
+<i>Rambler</i>, jarring it considerably.</p>
+
+<p>Clay and the others were out of their bunks in a
+minute, and out on deck to see what had taken
+place. Alex. was the first one to grasp the situation.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll have to turn on the motors to hold this
+boat,� he said. “The anchor lies in the mud, and
+will pull away at the first push of a current. First
+thing we know, we’ll be down there in a cypress
+swamp!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re excited!� Case called out. “We passed
+the flood two days ago.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s the trouble,� Alex. explained. “We
+passed the flood! The crest of it is still to the north
+of us. It has undoubtedly been raining up river, and
+that has swelled the volume of water.�</p>
+
+<p>“Do you mean that we got down the river in advance
+of the flood?� demanded Case.</p>
+
+<p>“We have been going a little faster than the
+current, haven’t we, notwithstanding our tying up
+nights?� Alex. asked. “This little boat has been
+going some! To-night the crest of the flood overtakes
+us. See?�</p>
+
+<p>“It doesn’t look reasonable!� Case insisted.
+“I don’t believe it!�</p>
+
+<p>“The kid is right,� Clay declared. “I have often
+read about boats meeting the flood the second time,
+once when they passed it, and once when it caught
+up with them.�</p>
+
+<p>The roaring sound which Mose had referred to
+now grew louder, sounding like the rush of a long
+and heavily loaded freight train.</p>
+
+<p>While the lads listened, hardly knowing what to
+do to protect themselves, Mose pointed a shaking
+hand at a spot far down the lagoon. Clay looked
+and saw a great blaze on what seemed a wooded
+knoll to the west of the river.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s a camp down there!� he said.</p>
+
+<p>“That makes it nice!� grinned Alex. “No
+honest men ever made camp in that hole at this
+season of the year! It is dollars to tripe that if we
+don’t put on power the crest of the flood will wash
+us down, when the full strength comes, and beach us
+among a band of river pirates! If we don’t get
+under way up stream we’ll have do to something to
+make the anchor hold!�</p>
+
+<p>While the boys were discussing some way of accomplishing
+this, for they did not like the idea of
+breasting the flood, the crest of the flood came seething
+down the stream, a wall of water four feet high!
+It swept over the point of land between the river and
+the bayou and dashed against the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The anchor held for a minute, then the boys knew
+that they were in motion. The current seemed
+stronger there than in the river itself.</p>
+
+<p>“The water is cutting a new channel below,�
+Clay shouted, as the <i>Rambler</i> was swept away,
+“and we are headed for that swamp. Now, we are
+in a peck of trouble!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink19'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XIX—PILGRIMS FROM OLD CHICAGO</a></h2>
+
+<p>The “peck of trouble� referred to as their portion
+by Clay turned out to be a full bushel, and good
+measure at that, in a very short time. Although the
+boys turned on the power—a thing they should have
+done long before—as soon as the crest of water
+came in sight, the <i>Rambler</i> was pitched down toward
+the swamp like a chip.</p>
+
+<p>If the boys had been able to direct her course,
+they might have held her in the current, and so kept
+out of the muck hole into which she was swept when
+the water cut around a bend, driving straight on the
+shore. But just as the craft was getting under control
+a mass of limbs and cane-brake tangled her propellers,
+and she went down with the flood, striking,
+as has been said, in a swamp where the head of the
+bayou had been, and into which the water still
+poured.</p>
+
+<p>It was pitch dark out on the river and in the
+swamp, but the lights of the <i>Rambler</i> cast a circle
+of illumination about the spot where she lay, so that
+the black, bubbling water, with all the unclean reptiles
+it was forcing forth from their haunts, was in
+full view. It was carrying wreckage now, and this
+was piling up between the current and the boat,
+shutting off all chances of backing out, even if the
+current would have permitted it. It was indeed a
+desperate situation.</p>
+
+<p>The motor boat had come to a stop against two
+monster cypress trees, between which she had
+wedged her nose. Only for this she might have been
+carried farther into the swamp, the water being deep
+for some distance ahead.</p>
+
+<p>During the whirling passage down the bayou,
+while the boat was bumping against tree trunks and
+bounding off with a jar and a swish to go swinging
+around again, like a foolish dancer doing the time
+limit, Mose had clung tightly to one of Clay’s legs.
+At the very beginning of that mad race he had
+caught sight of a couple of alligators, and was in
+deadly fear that they would climb on board and
+make a meal of him!</p>
+
+<p>When the boat finally lodged between the giant
+trees, the little negro boy bounded from the deck
+and, seizing hold of a mass of vines, clambered up
+the tree to the west like a young monkey! Believing
+that he would have to help the others up, he carried
+a rope with him! Finally, sitting astride of a limb,
+he called down what he considered very good advice
+to the boys on the boat.</p>
+
+<p>“Dey done get yo’, sho’!� he warned. “Catch
+on de rope an’ shin up!�</p>
+
+<p>Serious as the situation was, with the water trinkling
+in over the stern of the motor boat, the boys
+grinned at each other at the fright of the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“Come on down!� Alex. called. “If the boat
+should break away from the trees, you would be
+left alone in the swamp. Come on down and help
+get the boat out of this blessed swamp! You may
+get out with your rope and tow her if you want to!�
+he added, with a chuckle.</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd!� cried Mose, shuddering at the
+idea of getting into water inhabited by monsters
+who would leave a fat pig to feast off a black boy!</p>
+
+<p>At least that was what one of the boys had said
+to him!</p>
+
+<p>Attracted by the strange lights, walking and
+creeping things now began gathering in the shadows
+at the rim of the circle of light. Once Clay caught
+sight of the soft, appealing eyes of a deer, and now
+and then the howls of a swamp cat came to their
+ears above the roaring of the flood. Great water
+snakes struck their heads above the surface and
+looked, red-eyed, and hostile, at the boys.</p>
+
+<p>Swamp creatures with soft fur and frightened
+eyes crouched on fallen trees and scanned the deck
+as a possible refuge. To make the scene more desolate
+still, if possible, two round-eyed owls answered
+each other’s cries from a near-by cypress.</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� Jule whispered to Clay, during a little
+lull in the rain, “there’s a man by that tree. I’ve
+been watching him a long time. Look at him!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay followed the line of the pointing finger and
+laughed.</p>
+
+<p>“Why, that’s a bear!� he shouted. “A swamp
+bear—one of the kind Teddy Roosevelt came down
+here to shoot when he was president! Let him
+alone and he’ll let us alone. They fight like devils
+when wounded or molested.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys all agreed to let the bear alone, but Captain
+Joe and Teddy seemed to have notions of hospitality.
+The dog barked invitingly, and Teddy did
+a stunt of bear talk which brought the wanderer one
+tree nearer to the boat. He was now in the
+circle of light, and could get no nearer without
+swimming.</p>
+
+<p>“He sees Teddy and wants to ask his advice!�
+Jule laughed.</p>
+
+<p>At that moment Mose, noting that the boys were
+gazing fixedly in one direction, turned his eyes that
+way and saw the bear. The shriek he let out might,
+it seemed, have been heard in New Orleans, if the
+wind had been blowing in that direction!</p>
+
+<p>“Ah’s a gone coon!� he wailed, after that one
+yell. “Ah’s a goin’ whar de good niggers go!
+Good bear! Good bear!� he added coaxingly.</p>
+
+<p>The bear looked upon the scene for a moment
+longer with disapproving eyes and then turned
+away. For a moment he was seen walking on
+jammed logs, alternately wading through shallow
+places, and then he was lost in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>“There!� Alex. called out to Mose, “you’ve
+frightened our bear off!�</p>
+
+<p>“Dat yo’ bear?� asked Mose. “Den yo’ keep
+yo’ animile out our ya’d!�</p>
+
+<p>Although frequently invited to return to the boat,
+Mose insisted on keeping his place in the tree. Now
+and then he called out that a bear or a deer was
+about to board the <i>Rambler</i>, but for the most part
+he sat still, looking about for more things to be
+frightened at!</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Rambler</i> was now securely fastened in between
+the two trees, standing on a level, or floating
+on a level, rather. There was considerable water
+under the deck, it having worked its way down
+through the joints about the hatches, and the boys
+proceeded to lift all available covers and bail it out.</p>
+
+<p>“How are we ever going to get out of here?�
+asked Jule, working away with a basin and a sponge.
+“These trees will hold us forever.�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll have to cut them down, Silly!� answered
+Case. “Just as soon as the water goes down, we’ll
+crawl out on one of the mattresses and fix the propellers.�</p>
+
+<p>“Mattresses!� answered Jule. “They drifted
+away long ago.�</p>
+
+<p>“Look ahead and see,� remarked Case, and Jule
+did so.</p>
+
+<p>The willow and brake mattresses which had been
+towed down stream were loose from the motor boat,
+but they were in sight, having lodged against the
+mud bank farther in the swamp. They could be
+reached, the boys figured, by a little wading after
+the flood subsided, which it was certain to do before
+long.</p>
+
+<p>“You see,� Case went on, “the trees will hold
+the boat up, like it was in a dry dock, and we can fix
+the propellers and the leak and then chop down the
+trees and get out. Perhaps we can follow this channel
+out to the river. If there wasn’t an opening
+somewhere, the current here wouldn’t be so fierce!�</p>
+
+<p>“There may be a channel,� Clay agreed, “but if
+there is it must be full of standing trees and hidden
+snags. If we ever get out of here, we’d better run
+back to the main channel, and keep out of such holes
+in future!�</p>
+
+<p>“There wouldn’t be any fun in river trips,�
+laughed Alex., swinging an axe at the head of a
+water snake which was trying to get up on the deck,
+“if it wasn’t for the adventure there is in it! I
+wouldn’t have missed this for anything!�</p>
+
+<p>With the last word of this endorsement of the
+situation on his lips Alex. took a header over the
+gunwale of the boat into the water! A great trunk
+had bunted the <i>Rambler</i> on the port side, and she
+had tipped so as to knock the boy off his feet and
+over the railing before he could make up his mind
+what was coming off!</p>
+
+<p>“Wow!� cried Clay, as the boy came, spluttering
+to the surface.</p>
+
+<p>“You wouldn’t miss this for anything!� roared
+Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Bring a couple of snakes and an alligator out
+with you!� requested Jule.</p>
+
+<p>Mose, sitting on the limb, high up in the tree,
+called down to the boy that a water snake was trying
+to get into his pocket, and that an alligator was nosing
+about his leg.</p>
+
+<p>Disregarding all comment and advice, Alex.
+crawled back on deck and sat looking wrathfully
+into the flood. But his anger did not last long.</p>
+
+<p>“If that log hadn’t come along,� he said, “I
+should have forgotten my bath. When it comes
+daylight, I’m going to get up a race with that alligator,
+with the snake as referee! Mose can enter
+if he wants to!�</p>
+
+<p>Mose shivered at the thought. He was now
+climbing higher. When near the top he gave another
+yell and hustled down to a lower limb, where he sat
+with his hands clinging tightly to the trunk.</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Lawd’s sake!� he shrieked.</p>
+
+<p>“What is it now?� asked Jule. “If you don’t
+come down I’ll shoot you!�</p>
+
+<p>Mose pointed to the rim of the light zone and
+cried that the river robbers had come to get the boat.
+The boys looked where he pointed and saw three
+young men standing in a submerged grove of cypress
+trees. All were armed and all were bearded
+and forbidding in appearance. As the boys looked
+one stepped forward.</p>
+
+<p>“Just a second,� Clay called. “That is near
+enough!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink20'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XX—THE DARKEY UP THE TREE</a></h2>
+
+<p>While Case talked with the young man Clay
+went back into the cabin to talk with Alex., who
+was now changing into dry clothing.</p>
+
+<p>“Do you think the story that man is telling is
+all right?� he asked.</p>
+
+<p>“I think he is telling the truth about the river
+thieves,� Alex. replied.</p>
+
+<p>“I was wondering if that wasn’t just a bait to
+help them get on board.�</p>
+
+<p>“It may be, but there are river robbers in this
+section. They told us that where we bought the
+gasoline. These may be the robbers, for all I know,
+but we ought to make sure of that before turning
+them down. They’ll starve here, if they have lost
+their boat and provisions. Of course they can get
+wild game, but I don’t see how they are going to
+cook it. We ought to give them a chance, anyway.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay went back to the deck and listened to the
+conversation between Case and the visitor, who
+seemed a little annoyed at the doubting of his word.</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you live in Chicago?� he heard Case
+ask.</p>
+
+<p>“In furnished rooms on Elizabeth street, near
+Washington boulevard,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you work?� was the next question,
+impertinent and personal, but seemingly necessary
+at that time.</p>
+
+<p>“At a machine shop on Clinton street, not far
+from West Madison.</p>
+
+<p>“Then you are machinists?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, all of us. Business is dull in our line just
+now, and we thought we’d make a hit with ourselves
+by spending a winter in the south.�</p>
+
+<p>“When did you leave Chicago?�</p>
+
+<p>“We left Chicago last September,� answered the
+man, turning toward the rail. “We expect to get
+back sometime during the next century, if all
+Chicago boys are as hospitable as you are! Now,
+with your permission, I’ll go back to my friends.�</p>
+
+<p>“How do you know we are from Chicago?�
+asked Clay, stepping forward.</p>
+
+<p>The other laughed lightly and pointed to the
+boat’s name on articles scattered about.</p>
+
+<p>“But, aside from that,� he said, “we’d know you
+anywhere. The Chicago newspapers carried a lot of
+feature stuff about your boat and your trips.�</p>
+
+<p>“All right, stranger,� one of the three answered,
+in rather a pleasant tone of voice. “Just as you
+say!�</p>
+
+<p>“What do you want?� asked Alex., still shivering
+from his cold bath.</p>
+
+<p>“We want a ride out of this consarned swamp,�
+was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“How did you get in here?� asked Clay. “Get
+out the way you got in!� he added.</p>
+
+<p>“Our shanty boat is smashed to flinders and our
+grub is gone,� complained the other. “It don’t
+look as if we could walk out of here, does it?�</p>
+
+<p>“Was that your fire we saw?� asked Case, drawing
+closer to the gunwale.</p>
+
+<p>“We had a fire before the flood pounced down
+upon us,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“What shall we do?� asked Clay, facing the
+others. “If they are on the square we can’t leave
+them here. They would starve!�</p>
+
+<p>“They may be pirates!� suggested Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t believe it,� Case declared. “They don’t
+look the part. Besides, if they had designs on the
+boat, they could have picked us off in the darkness,
+and we’d never have known where the bullets came
+from. They’re all right!�</p>
+
+<p>“One of you come aboard,� Clay instructed,
+“and we’ll see what you look like.�</p>
+
+<p>In plain view of the boys the man who had done
+the talking handed his gun to a companion and
+struck out for the boat, walking on logs part of the
+way, wading part of the way, and swimming when
+he could do neither. In a moment he was on deck.</p>
+
+<p>“The three of us,� he explained, “were out of
+work at Chicago. We had a little cash, and decided
+to come down here and spend the winter where we
+wouldn’t have room-rent or restaurant bills to pay.
+We thought we could cut and market enough fish-poles
+out of the brake swamps to pay our way back
+in the spring.�</p>
+
+<p>“That wasn’t a bad idea!� Jule declared.</p>
+
+<p>“We were getting along all right,� the other
+went on, “until the river thieves began troubling us.
+They stole our food, and at last began stealing our
+poles. We were getting ready to go out when the
+flood smashed our shanty boat into smithereens.
+Now we are up against it, unless you take us with
+you. And,� he added, with a quick glance around,
+“you’d better take us on board, for the thieves are
+back there in the swamp, with their envious eyes
+fixed on this boat. They are mostly negroes, and
+escaped convicts.�</p>
+
+<p>“You ought to know that we’ve got to be careful,�
+Clay said, as the man was about to leave the
+boat. “We don’t know anything about you, except
+what you have told us, but we’re going to take a
+chance on you. Tell your friends to come on
+board.�</p>
+
+<p>In five minutes the three were in the cabin, trying
+on some of Clay’s clothes, for their own were not
+only wet but they oozed black muck. When they
+were dressed again they passed their revolvers over
+to Clay, with the statement that they wouldn’t need
+them unless the river pirates took a hand in the
+game that night.</p>
+
+<p>“Have the ruffians been here long?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“About a month ago,� was the reply, “a lot of negroes
+broke away from a convict camp off to the west
+somewhere. They came into this swamp and built
+a camp on a knoll, which must, by the way, be under
+water now. They are murderers, housebreakers
+and sneak thieves of the most desperate kind. We
+tried to make friends with them, but it was of no
+use. They think their camp is unknown, and so
+object to our getting out and telling where it is. I
+half believe they will try to keep you from getting
+out for the same reason.�</p>
+
+<p>“If it is all the same to you boys,� another of the
+visitors said, “we’d like something to eat. We were
+half starved when we came on board. I think I can
+catch a fish or shoot a duck, so our supper won’t
+cost you anything only the bother of having us
+around. What do you say? Do we eat?�</p>
+
+<p>“I should say so!� cried Alex., sticking his head
+out of the cabin, “and when you are out after game
+get enough for me a little lunch. I haven’t had anything
+to eat since dark!�</p>
+
+<p>“Is that rowboat at the side all right?� asked
+the visitor, pointing to the boat which had been
+found up the river. “If it is, I’ll get a little ways
+from the motor boat, in the shadows, and see what
+I can do getting ducks.�</p>
+
+<p>“The boat is all right,� Alex. answered, “and
+I’ll go with you. I’m beginning to feel the lack of
+adventure. I get awfully tired of this monotony
+sometimes!�</p>
+
+<p>They all laughed at the idea of there being any
+monotony in the situation, there in the swamp, with
+the river roaring around them and the watchful
+thieves in the thicket, and Alex. seemed quite annoyed
+at the thought that they regarded his remark
+as a joke.</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps something will happen before you get
+back,� Clay grinned.</p>
+
+<p>“The boat may smash,� said Jule, cheerfully.
+“It has been banged about quite a lot since we got
+it. Or you may find some of the robbers. There’s
+no knowing what streak of good luck you may get
+into!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m not looking for any good luck of that
+kind!� the visitor said, as he drew the rowboat
+around and clambered into it. “I’ve had all the
+cheerful incidents of that character I care to have.
+When I get back to Chicago, I’m going to get a
+room next to the Desplaines street police station and
+go to bed at seven o’clock every night.�</p>
+
+<p>“What’s your name?� asked Alex., abruptly as
+he pushed off from the <i>Rambler</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“Gregg Holder,� was the reply. “I’m just
+Gregg to all my friends, but I’m Bully Gregg on
+South Halstead street. The others are Eddie Butler
+and Hank Quinn.�</p>
+
+<p>“That settles it!� grinned Alex. “I’m going
+back.�</p>
+
+<p>“What for?� asked Gregg, in surprise. “Don’t
+you want a duck or a fish?�</p>
+
+<p>“Sure I do,� was the reply, “but I’m afraid!
+You’re the man that fought Murphy to a draw?
+What? And Eddie Butler is the boy that bested
+Murray!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ve got that right, kid,� was the reply.
+“We’ve all been in the prize ring, but we’re no slum
+toughs. If you think the bears and snakes and robbers
+are better company than we are,� he added,
+“we’ll get out of your boat!�</p>
+
+<p>“You’re just the lads to give the pirates a good
+drubbing!� Alex. laughed, “and so we’ll ask you
+to remain with us and learn something of the rules
+of polite society! Let me take one oar, unless you
+want to keep on going round in a circle!�</p>
+
+<p>“There’s something pulling on the boat,� Gregg
+said. “I can’t keep it on a straight line. See if you
+can find out what has tangled us.�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. turned on his searchlight and cast its rays
+on the water ahead. Then he dropped his light in
+the bottom of the boat and stuck his hands out
+straight. Gregg looked up as the light fell, then
+dropped the oars and stuck his hands out straight!</p>
+
+<p>“This is the adventure you wanted!� Gregg said,
+as half a dozen negroes showed on a hummock only
+a few feet away. “We’re held up by the river
+thieves!�</p>
+
+<p>“What do you fellows want?� Alex. demanded,
+looking straight into the muzzle of a gun that
+seemed to have a bore as large as the Hudson river
+tunnel.</p>
+
+<p>“We want that boat, so we can get on board the
+motor contraption,� said a voice.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s no negro!� whispered Alex. “It is a
+white man blacked up!�</p>
+
+<p>“Right you are!� replied Gregg.</p>
+
+<p>“What are you boys talking about?� demanded
+the holder of the threatening gun.</p>
+
+<p>“We were telling each other how glad we were
+to meet you!� Alex. snarled.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re a nervy kid, anyhow,� said the other.
+“Push the boat up here, so we can get in. We were
+raised as pets, and don’t want to get wet.�</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing to do but obey instructions.
+They knew the desperate character of the men they
+were facing. If they followed orders and waited
+for an opportunity to turn the tables on their captors,
+they might get out of the mess with whole
+skins, but if they forced a fight there and then there
+would be little hope for them. When there were
+four of the pirates in the boat, crouching down
+under the gunwales, who made the fifth, the spokesman
+gave his orders.</p>
+
+<p>“Now you boys row back. When we get close up
+I’ll show myself and put the whole party under
+cover. See? My men will also have their guns,
+and if you disobey instructions in the slightest particular,
+you’ll be shot in the back.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s where you like to shoot, I take it!�
+growled Gregg. “If I had one of you out on the
+bank I’d break him in two pieces and feed him to
+the snakes.�</p>
+
+<p>“Cuss if you want to!� commented the robber.
+“We can settle all that after a time. Just now, get
+over to that boat, and call out that you’ve found
+another castaway in the swamp! We’ll be on board
+before they can say a word.�</p>
+
+<p>This looked like turning the <i>Rambler</i> over to
+thieves, but there was no way in which the boys
+could reverse conditions just then, so they rowed
+toward the motor boat, calling out that they had
+found a sick man in the jungle. The robber prodded
+them with the muzzle of his gun when they did not
+give the right inflection to their voices.</p>
+
+<p>When the boat entered the circle of light the boys
+on board the <i>Rambler</i> were all leaning over the gunwale,
+looking for the boys and the rescued individual.
+There were no weapons in sight, and Alex.
+feared that all the revolvers were stowed away in
+the cabin, and that the <i>Rambler</i> would be taken
+without a shot being fired in her defense.</p>
+
+<p>When the boat touched the hull of the <i>Rambler</i>
+the robber sprang to his feet, presenting two long
+guns as he did so.</p>
+
+<p>“I’ll empty these guns into the crowd of you,� he
+said, in a low, even voice, “if there is one move on
+deck. We are coming aboard, and the better you
+use us the better we shall use you. Just sit still,
+boys,� he added, addressing his men, “until I get on
+deck.�</p>
+
+<p>He was lithe and strong, and was on the deck in
+an instant, without opposition, his guns threatening
+the amazed boys and their visitors. Captain Joe
+gave forth a volley of ugly growls, and would have
+attacked the man, but Clay ordered him back.</p>
+
+<p>“Never mind the dog,� he said. “He won’t
+bite!�</p>
+
+<p>“If he does, he’ll get a chance to bite lead!� the
+robber exclaimed. “Now, men,� he went on,
+“climb up into the boat. Leave the rowers where
+they are.�</p>
+
+<p>Four husky negroes, all with traces of whisky
+in their breath, began climbing over Alex. and
+Gregg to reach the motor boat. As they were
+steadying the rocking craft, they carried no weapons
+in their hands.</p>
+
+<p>Then something happened which was as much of
+a surprise to the boys as it was to the men who were
+trying to capture the <i>Rambler</i>!</p>
+
+<p>A rope with a wide noose at one end came whirling
+out of the sky and fell over the robber’s head,
+resting for an instant in a neat coil on his shoulders!</p>
+
+<p>He clutched his weapons closer and looked up.
+Then the line tightened about his muscular neck
+until his feet left the deck and his face grew red
+with the blood of strangulation, then grew white.
+The revolvers clattered to the floor, and the man’s
+figure toppled and fell as the rope slacked.</p>
+
+<p>When this strange thing happened, Alex. and
+Gregg were bending their heads down to permit the
+negroes to clamber over them. Still they saw the
+rope fall, saw the man gasp as it closed about his
+neck, and felt the negroes springing back in dismay.</p>
+
+<p>Then they arose with their heavy oars in their
+hands and struck slashing, crunching blows at the
+heads below them! One negro lifted an arm to
+shoot, but it fell with the bones of the shoulder
+crushed to pulp. One by one they dropped out of
+the boat, some with broken arms, some with broken
+heads. After they had all disappeared, either under
+the surface of the lagoon or into the darkness of the
+swamp, a shrill voice came from the tree where
+Mose had taken refuge from the snakes and the
+alligators:</p>
+
+<p>“Go on, white folks,� it said, “Ah goin’ hang
+dis immitation coon up on dis tree!�</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink21'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XXI—DODGING A POLICE BOAT</a></h2>
+
+<p>“You little coon!� Clay gasped.</p>
+
+<p>“Hurrah for Mose!� cried Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“If you’ll come down here I’ll hug you!� shouted
+Gregg.</p>
+
+<p>“How did you ever think of it?� Case called out.</p>
+
+<p>Mose, now the happiest little negro boy in the
+United States, sat astride of his limb and grinned
+until it seemed that the top of his head would drop
+off backward!</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, the river pirate had remained
+unnoticed on the deck, the rope so deftly dropped by
+Mose still around his neck. Case finally bent over
+him.</p>
+
+<p>“Why!� he exclaimed, shrinking back. “The
+man is dead!�</p>
+
+<p>“Dead!� echoed Clay. “What killed him?�</p>
+
+<p>Then they all bent over the still figure for a closer
+examination. Just as Case had declared, the robber
+was dead. His neck had been broken by the rope
+when Mose had drawn him off his feet! Alex.
+looked up at the boy.</p>
+
+<p>“You must have a good pull in your arms!� he
+cried. “How did you manage to swing him up?
+You’re a wonder, Mose!�</p>
+
+<p>Mose only grinned in reply, but Clay explained
+the matter by saying that the boy had thrown the
+rope over a limb higher up and used that as a pulley.</p>
+
+<p>“Still,� he added, “it took a lot of muscle to jerk
+that heavy man off his feet. I didn’t think the boy
+had it in him.�</p>
+
+<p>Then came the question as to what disposition
+should be made of the body. There was no hard
+ground near at hand so that a decent grave could
+be prepared. There were marshy knolls, it is true,
+but any excavation made there would instantly fill
+with water.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Gregg said, “the best we can do is to
+bury him in the water. I don’t mean in the lagoon
+or in the river, but in a grave which will fill with
+water. There he will at least be out of the reach of
+reptiles and wild animals when the water subsides.�</p>
+
+<p>“But how are we ever going to get out there and
+dig a grave?� asked Jule, who was not inclined to
+waste much effort on the body of a man who, in life,
+would have robbed, perhaps murdered, them!</p>
+
+<p>“With your permission,� Gregg said, “we’ll take
+the body out and bury it. I haven’t much use for
+men of his type, but he’s dead, and that settles all
+accounts!�</p>
+
+<p>“We may be able to get a couple of birds for supper
+while we are away,� suggested Eddie Butler.
+“We have been so busy lately, that we haven’t eaten,
+or provided anything to eat! I’m empty clear to my
+toes!�</p>
+
+<p>“And I’ll catch a fish off the boat!� Jule volunteered.
+“I saw some big ones jumping up not long
+ago! They’ve been driven out of their nests by the
+flood.�</p>
+
+<p>So Gregg and his friends went away in the rowboat
+to bury the outlaw and get a couple of ducks
+for supper, while Jule and Alex. angled over the
+stern of the boat for a fish. The first rush of the
+flood was past, but the water was still high. There
+was a strong current rushing past the stern of the
+<i>Rambler</i>, and this indicated that there must be a
+channel open to the main river not far below.</p>
+
+<p>The boys caught a great catfish and two
+awkward-looking buffalo-fish and turned them loose in
+the stream before they succeeded in getting anything
+they wanted for supper. Then they caught a dozen
+perch of good size and proceeded to clean them.</p>
+
+<p>By the time the fish were ready for the pan Gregg
+and his friends were back from their expedition
+with half a dozen fat ducks, already dressed.</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll have some for breakfast, and some for
+dinner!� Eddie declared. “I feel now as if I’d
+never get enough to fill me up again!�</p>
+
+<p>Something long and twisting dropped on the
+man’s shoulders and fell off to the deck.</p>
+
+<p>“Holy smoke!� he shouted. “Look at the
+snake!�</p>
+
+<p>A shout from up the tree told of the trick Mose
+had played on the man, and the rope was coiled
+away. In a short time Mose came sliding down the
+trunk.</p>
+
+<p>“He smells supper!� explained Clay. “I’ve a
+notion to set Captain Joe on him!�</p>
+
+<p>“Dat dog don’t bite dis coon!� Mose replied.
+“Ah’m in lub wid dat dog!�</p>
+
+<p>Captain Joe and Teddy came forward and looked
+the three visitors over approvingly.</p>
+
+<p>“That bear would make a good meal!� Gregg
+declared, with a wink at Case.</p>
+
+<p>Mose’s eyes stuck out for a minute, and then he
+tickled his own chin and gave out a sound like a
+goat.</p>
+
+<p>“B-a-a-a-a-a-a! B-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!� he bleated.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s the matter with the coon?� asked
+Gregg, with a look of surprise.</p>
+
+<p>“He’s telling us to get wise to the alfalfa!� Jule
+cut in. “Alex. don’t know how to translate so white
+men can understand.�</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll both wash dishes for a month!� roared
+Clay, doubled over with laughter. “We make that
+a penalty for talking slang,� he explained, turning
+to Gregg.</p>
+
+<p>“But I don’t understand yet,� the other went on.
+“What is the matter with the boy? Has he turned
+himself into a billy goat?�</p>
+
+<p>“He’s suggesting that you mow the lawn!� Case
+explained. “He doesn’t like the fire-escapes!�</p>
+
+<p>Clay roared and pointed to the beards worn by the
+three, and then they understood and joined in the
+laugh until the swamp echoed back the sounds.</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll all have to wash dishes, I take it!� Gregg
+declared.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s about the way it usually turns out, when
+one starts talking slang,� Clay explained. “We’re
+all so full of it that it just bubbles out.�</p>
+
+<p>“It is fine that we have something to be jolly
+over,� Gregg hastened to say, “for the prospects of
+getting out of here are not alluring.�</p>
+
+<p>“Wouldn’t be no fun if everything went right!�
+Alex. insisted. “We have the most sport when
+we’re lost, or stolen, or strayed away. Now, you
+watch me cook these ducks.�</p>
+
+<p>The boy got out a baking pan standing on three
+short legs. The bottom was double so as to prevent
+burning. Then he put two fat ducks inside, secured
+the cover, and removed what seemed to Gregg to be
+the whole top of the stove.</p>
+
+<p>The short legs of the pan rested on the red-hot
+coals in the firebox, while the cover was always
+within reach. As soon as the ducks, which had
+previously been hastily parboiled, began to simmer
+and send forth appetizing odors, the boy watched
+them every minute, turning and basting until they
+were a beautiful golden brown.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime coffee had been made and the
+fish fried on the electric coil.</p>
+
+<p>“I presume you’ll want hot biscuits for supper,
+too?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors were too busy with the game to do
+more than shake their heads.</p>
+
+<p>“We usually have three kinds of meat, fish, baked
+potatoes, pancakes, light bread, pie, honey, and three
+or four vegetables on the side,� Alex. explained,
+with a wink at Mose, who sat in a corner next to the
+deck with Joe and Teddy watching the meat disappearing
+from a “drumstick� he was busily engaged
+on.</p>
+
+<p>“An’ possum pie!� the little negro boy added,
+licking his chops.</p>
+
+<p>“Sure! I forgot the possum pie!� Alex. declared.
+“Excuse me!�</p>
+
+<p>“Certainly!� laughed Gregg, “and we’ll excuse
+you, too, for all future products of the imagination!
+The twenty course dinners at the La Salle haven’t
+got anything on this little banquet! For my part,
+I don’t care whether we ever get out of here, now,
+or not.�</p>
+
+<p>“Some day,� Alex. observed, “I’ll show you how
+to cook a steak à la brigand! After you eat one of
+them you’ll go hungry for a week before you’ll
+touch anything else!�</p>
+
+<p>“You may lead me to one of them any time you
+see fit!� Eddie laughed.</p>
+
+<p>The river was still roaring and foaming about the
+<i>Rambler</i>, caught in the narrow space between the
+two cypress trees. Just where the boat lay the current
+turned away to the east, that is the current of
+the lagoon. The Mississippi was, of course, across
+the inundated spit of land which lay on the west
+shore of the river and on the east side of the bayou
+or lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the boys finished their somewhat delayed
+supper the lights of a steamer showed up the stream.
+It passed the mouth of the bayou and hugged the
+opposite shore of the Mississippi for a time, then
+headed for the west shore.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s strange!� Case exclaimed. “She sees
+our lights, but what is she coming over to this side
+for?�</p>
+
+<p>The mystery became more of a mystery still when,
+reaching the west side, the steamer turned prow up
+stream and started to breast the flood, still carrying
+great masses of wreckage down stream. She made
+her way up to the mouth of the bayou and stopped,
+her propellers going just fast enough to keep from
+dropping back.</p>
+
+<p>“If I’m not mistaken,� Gregg suggested, “that
+is a boat carrying officers on a hunt for the escaped
+convicts. Can’t we get out of here before they
+reach us?�</p>
+
+<p>“Why should we run away from them?� asked
+Clay, suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>“Because they will mistake us for convicts,� replied
+Gregg. “An officer in a position to abuse his
+authority always does so. Many of the man-hunters
+along the river are little better than the men they
+hunt. Some of them are worse. This, of course,
+does not apply to the sheriffs and deputies of the
+counties touching the river, but to hired detectives
+and gunmen who come here to make a living hunting
+others.�</p>
+
+<p>“You must be sore on the police,� Alex. exploded.
+“I’ve got a lot of friends on the Chicago police
+force. They’re good fellows, at that!�</p>
+
+<p>“All right!� Gregg assented. “There are a lot
+of good men there. But if you want to remain here
+and permit those ruffians to overrun your boat, insult
+you, and hold you prisoners until you can get to
+some town where identification is possible, you can
+do so. We can stand it if you can.�</p>
+
+<p>“There may be some sense in what he says,� Clay
+urged, “and if we could get out of the trap we are
+in and make the propellers go, I’d be willing to go
+on down the river and let the officers have the whole
+country to themselves.�</p>
+
+<p>“Can’t we follow this bayou current and get out
+on the river below them?� asked Jule.</p>
+
+<p>Clay said no; Gregg and his chums said yes.</p>
+
+<p>“The water has been cutting a channel for a long
+time,� Gregg explained. “It needed only a slight
+push to send the remaining bank down. There are
+few obstructions in the new channel, as I figure it
+out, and I believe we would go through like a top
+once we got started. And we’d better hurry, if we
+are going to do anything, for, of course, they have
+seen your lights. They wouldn’t have stopped here
+if they hadn’t.�</p>
+
+<p>“But the propellers!� urged Clay. “They’re
+broken.�</p>
+
+<p>In a moment one of the men had his clothes off to
+the undersuit and was diving down at the stern of
+the <i>Rambler</i>. He remained under the water so long
+that the boys began to fear that he had met with
+some accident, or been attacked by a snake or an
+alligator. He came up smiling, however.</p>
+
+<p>“Only clogged!� he cried. “You, Gregg and
+Eddie, get axes and chop the east tree down! The
+boat will then swing away from the other. You
+must make the cut down in the water, then we’ll
+have to lift the prow over the stump.�</p>
+
+<p>The plan suggested proved successful, and the
+<i>Rambler</i>, under power, and trailing the mattresses,
+was soon feeling her way down the new channel.
+Then excitement was observed on the steamer, and
+she was headed about for the main stream again.
+It looked like a race was on!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink22'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XXII—THE SHERIFF KNOWS A LOT</a></h2>
+
+<p>It was still raining when the <i>Rambler</i> headed
+into the Mississippi, and there was no glimmer of
+light in sight save that which came from the
+steamer, still puffing at the mouth of the bayou, and
+that which lighted the path of the motor boat. The
+wind had gone down, and the slow, soft rain dominated
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident from the very start that the
+steamer was no match for the <i>Rambler</i> when it
+came to a question of speed. As well might a delivery
+truck attempt to compete in swiftness with a
+perfect touring car.</p>
+
+<p>Besides the power of speed, the <i>Rambler</i> had
+another quality which enabled her to rapidly increase
+the distance between the two boats. The
+river was still covered with wreckage, and the motor
+boat was a good dodger! She responded quickly
+to her helm, avoiding the driftwood ahead easily,
+while the steamer was slower in picking her way.</p>
+
+<p>“Your boat is a peach!� Gregg exclaimed, enthusiastically,
+as the lights of the steamer dropped
+out of sight behind a bend in the river. “Nothing
+would please me better than a long trip in her.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay replied, “why not? We are going
+to the Gulf, and are in no hurry to get there. We
+are shy sleeping bunks, but if you boys can put up
+with beds on the floor you are welcome to go along
+with us. I reckon you’ll manage to supply your
+share of the provisions!�</p>
+
+<p>“The prospect is an attractive one,� Gregg replied,
+“but I think we’d better stop at Vicksburg
+and find employment of some kind. Later, we may
+go on down the river in a houseboat of our own.
+That depends on how lucky we are in getting good
+jobs.�</p>
+
+<p>“We shall be sorry to part with you,� Case put
+in. “We have been together only a few hours, but
+a great deal has happened in that time! Only for
+your warning, the river thieves might have sneaked
+aboard the <i>Rambler</i> and captured it. In that case,
+you know very well what would have become of us.
+We should have been murdered!�</p>
+
+<p>“I have no doubt that you would have taken care
+of yourselves,� Eddie declared.</p>
+
+<p>“There’s one thing I want to ask you,� Clay went
+on, “and that is about the outlaw you buried back
+in the swamp. He was a white man, wasn’t he?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes; a white man blacked up like a negro.�</p>
+
+<p>“Did you look him over carefully enough to be
+able to give me a description of him?�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, we washed him up a little when we saw
+that he was a Caucasian, and I got a fair impression
+of his face, which wasn’t a prepossessing one, by any
+means.�</p>
+
+<p>“Can you give me something of a notion of it in
+a few words?� asked Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Some old acquaintance of yours?� asked the
+other, with a smile at Case.</p>
+
+<p>“He might have been. The fact is, I thought I
+recognized the voice of the spokesman.�</p>
+
+<p>“There!� Alex. exclaimed. “I had that same
+notion. Mose,� he added, turning to the negro boy,
+“was that the man who threw you and the dog into
+the water?�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah sure done thought so!� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“You think it was Sam, the Robber, the man who
+accompanied Red?� asked Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“I didn’t know but it might be!� answered Clay,
+and Alex. at once insisted that it was the same man.
+Mose was ready to swear to the fellow’s identity by
+this time!</p>
+
+<p>“Tell us how he looked after the black was
+washed off,� requested Clay, after a short pause,
+during which the three men compared notes—mental
+notes—of their impressions of the man they had
+left in the lonely grave in the swamp.</p>
+
+<p>“We have decided on one word that expresses
+our thought of the man,� Gregg finally replied.
+“You know that all human beings in some manner
+resemble some wild animal species. Some men are
+lions, some are monkeys, some are dogs, some are
+bears, some are foxes. Well, this man was a fox!�</p>
+
+<p>“I thought so,� Clay exclaimed. “I thought the
+fellow’s voice sounded like Sam’s.�</p>
+
+<p>“There are many men with fox-faces,� Gregg
+warned. “This man may not have been the individual
+you refer to as Sam. If he is an enemy of
+yours, keep looking for him.�</p>
+
+<p>With this bit of good advice the matter was
+dropped for the time. The steamer was no longer
+in sight, but the <i>Rambler</i> was kept on her way to
+the Gulf.</p>
+
+<p>In the middle of the next forenoon they came to
+Delta, which is at the bottom of the Vicksburg cutoff,
+on the west bank of the river. Here, with many
+handshakes and expressions of regret at parting,
+the three men left the boat.</p>
+
+<p>“If we have any luck at all,� Gregg said, as the
+<i>Rambler</i> pushed out, “we’ll meet you somewhere
+south of New Orleans. We’ve always wanted to
+see that swamp country.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys moved slowly down the river after that.</p>
+
+<p>Again they were enjoying themselves, fishing,
+hunting and exploring the country on either side of
+the great stream.</p>
+
+<p>There were lowlands, swamps, winding bayous
+and forests in places. Again, there were plantations,
+with noble houses showing from the river.
+Whenever they halted at a plantation landing they
+were received most hospitably.</p>
+
+<p>The wreckage of the flood was running out of
+the stream, and the water was dropping down to
+normal. Occasionally they left the boat at night
+and built rousing camp-fires on high banks. At
+such times plantation hands often gathered about
+them with banjo and mandolin and violin and made
+the night musical.</p>
+
+<p>They heard no mention of the Rock Island warehouse
+robbery until they approached Baton Rouge.
+The night before they sighted that beautiful city
+they camped on a piece of high land on a small
+island. No sooner was their fire blazing high than
+a couple of rowboats skimmed across the river and
+drew up near the little camp.</p>
+
+<p>There were three men in one boat and two in the
+other, and the whole five hastened to greet the boys.
+They were evidently planters, for they were well
+dressed and gave the impression of being gentlemen.</p>
+
+<p>The man who seemed to be the leader looked
+keenly around the camp, peered into the cabin of the
+<i>Rambler</i>, and then approached Clay with outstretched
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t need to ask who you boys are,� he
+laughed. “I am a regular reader of the Chicago
+newspapers. One of them, not long ago, printed
+your pictures, including those of the dog and the
+cub! If you’ll desert this camp and come over to
+the house, I’ll be glad to put you up for the night.�</p>
+
+<p>“I hardly think we would sleep well under a
+roof,� Clay laughed, “but we’re all very thankful
+for your kindness. Besides, we’ll have to remain
+here and watch the boat. We’ve had some trouble
+coming down, and are determined to be on our
+guard.�</p>
+
+<p>“You won’t find any river thieves around here,�
+smiled the visitor. “I’m sheriff of this parish, and
+I’ve taken considerable trouble to clear the country
+of them. You say you’ve had trouble on the way
+down? Then this must be the party that gave the
+officers such a race up above Vicksburg?�</p>
+
+<p>“There was a steamer chased us—for a little
+while!� grinned Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, I understand,� replied the sheriff. “The
+newspapers were full of the incident the next day,
+and you were held forth to the public as the boldest
+of river brigands! Why did you run away from the
+officers?�</p>
+
+<p>“We only suspected that they were officers,� was
+the answer.</p>
+
+<p>“It wouldn’t have taken long for you to have
+found out,� smiled the officer.</p>
+
+<p>“It might have taken us a long time to get away
+from them,� Clay answered. “You know how
+eager some officers are to make a capture. Well, we
+didn’t want to be bothered with them, so we just took
+to our heels.�</p>
+
+<p>“The officers were looking for a boy believed to
+be on your boat,� the sheriff remarked. “They had
+information that he had been seen with you on two
+occasions.�</p>
+
+<p>“He must refer to Chet Vinton,� Case interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know his name,� the sheriff went on,
+“but he is the boy believed to have taken a hand in
+the Rock Island robbery.�</p>
+
+<p>“That is the lad,� Clay answered, with an amused
+smile. “We have had him on board the <i>Rambler</i>
+on two occasions, and each time he has mysteriously
+disappeared.�</p>
+
+<p>“Where did you see him last?�</p>
+
+<p>“At Memphis.�</p>
+
+<p>“That was after you rented a deposit box at a
+bank?�</p>
+
+<p>“You seem to know all about it,� grinned Clay.
+“Yes, he left soon after I rented the deposit box
+in the bank. By the way, do you know a giant of
+a man, red-headed and kind-hearted, who is a gentleman
+of leisure one moment and a river pirate the
+next?�</p>
+
+<p>Clay thought he saw suppressed excitement in the
+face of the sheriff as he asked the question, and
+waited expectantly for an answer. The officer hesitated
+before saying a word, then he pushed the direct
+question aside.</p>
+
+<p>“There are a good many men along the river who
+might answer to the description,� he said, “but I
+can’t call any names to mind just now. What about
+him?�</p>
+
+<p>“Why, I met him on the river,� Clay answered,
+resolved to be just as secretive as the officer, “and I
+also met a man I took to be him at Memphis. I
+have a notion that I would like to meet him again
+some time. He’s all right, that man!�</p>
+
+<p>“Tell me this,� said the sheriff, then, “what did
+you boys discover in the old house on the bank of
+the lagoon? I understand that at least two of your
+party spent the day there. I’d like to know what
+they saw and heard in the house.�</p>
+
+<p>Clay regarded the sheriff suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>“Has there anything happened to us on this trip
+that you don’t know about?� he asked, then.</p>
+
+<p>“Why,� replied the other, “we’ve been hearing
+about you all down the river. Don’t forget that we
+have telegraph wires in this country, as well as up
+north. Yes, we’ve heard a lot about you, and, to
+tell the truth, I’ve been waiting rather anxiously for
+you to make your appearance. What about the old
+mansion, where the negro boy and the dog got your
+friends out of a bad mess?�</p>
+
+<p>“Say,� Alex., who had been listening, cut in,
+“what do you know about that old mansion? What
+kind of a gang is it that holds forth there?�</p>
+
+<p>“You ought to know!� smiled the sheriff. “You
+called on them.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, and they insisted on our making a longer
+visit!� grinned Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Now, what is it about the boy?� the sheriff said,
+changing the subject.</p>
+
+<p>“You know all that I know about him,� replied
+Clay. “He ran away from us following the visit
+to the boat of the bank cashier and two friends.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, I heard about that,� said the officer.
+“Now, will you be good enough to tell me if you
+have seen him since that night?�</p>
+
+<p>“We have not, except that he returned to the
+<i>Rambler</i> during the dark hours and restored something
+he had taken away from her.�</p>
+
+<p>“Are you sure it was the boy who came back
+with the leather bag?� asked the sheriff, with a
+most exasperating laugh. “Are you sure it was the
+boy?�</p>
+
+<p>“I am not,� Clay answered, wonderingly. “I
+spoke too hastily. Come, Mr. Sheriff, tell me how
+you know anything about that leather bag.�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know much about it, that’s the trouble,�
+was the reply. “I wish I knew more. Now, tell
+me this: Have you an appointment with this boy
+farther down the river? Do you expect to meet
+him again during your trip?�</p>
+
+<p>Clay replied that he hoped to, and the sheriff said
+little more on the subject. He expected the sheriff
+to ask for the key to the deposit box, but he did not.</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink23'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XXIII—A NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS</a></h2>
+
+<p>“I believe,� Clay declared, after a long pause,
+during which the voices of negroes along the levee
+came softly through the night, “that you know
+something about the three persons we are just now
+interested in.�</p>
+
+<p>“Name the three,� laughed the sheriff. “Who
+are they?�</p>
+
+<p>“First, the man we have always called Red, the
+Robber.�</p>
+
+<p>“You have referred to him before, my boy.�</p>
+
+<p>“But you gave me no satisfaction,� urged Clay,
+eagerly. “Do you know him?�</p>
+
+<p>“I have heard of a man who sometimes answers
+to the name of Red. What next?�</p>
+
+<p>“The boy, Chester Vinton, accused of having had
+a hand in the Rock Island robbery.�</p>
+
+<p>“Why do you think I know anything of him?
+If I knew where he was I’d be sure and keep him
+long enough to find out what he knows about that
+robbery!�</p>
+
+<p>“And the third person is the cashier of the bank
+where I left the packet. What did he come on board
+the <i>Rambler</i> for? Who were the men with him?�</p>
+
+<p>“The cashier said he was curious to see the
+famous boat, didn’t he?�</p>
+
+<p>“Pshaw!� exclaimed Clay. “That wasn’t the
+reason he came on board! Honest, now, didn’t he
+expect to find some of the plunder taken from the
+warehouse on the boat?�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t know what he expected to find, I’m sure.
+I have never talked with him.�</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� Clay went on, “you have referred to the
+leather bag, the one thrown on the deck of the
+<i>Rambler</i>. Who told you about the bag if the cashier
+didn’t? I begin to think the cashier took the bag
+and threw it back, or caused it to be thrown back,
+when he discovered that it contained nothing of
+value.�</p>
+
+<p>“What did it contain when you first saw it?�
+asked the sheriff, a twinkle in his eyes. “Let us
+talk about that, for a time!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m going to show you,� Clay replied, half
+angrily, “that I can be just as secretive as you can!
+I don’t know anything about the leather bag!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� the officer went on, with a puzzling expression
+on his face, “if you come across this boy
+Chet will you let me know about it?�</p>
+
+<p>“No, I won’t!� replied Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s right! Speak right up, promptly! Now
+I know just what to expect!�</p>
+
+<p>“You might clear up the whole matter,� Clay
+complained, “and yet you won’t open your mouth!
+I’m not going to assist you—not if I get a chance,
+which is doubtful.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� said the sheriff, moving toward the
+boats, “I must be getting along! I may see you
+later. If you come back this way don’t forget that
+you are all to be my guests for a few days. I really
+want to get better acquainted with you boys.�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll think it over,� laughed Clay. “We’re
+thankful for the invitation, anyway.�</p>
+
+<p>“And when you get down below New Orleans,�
+the officer suggested, “look out for the real thing in
+pirates! That boat of yours would make a fine
+craft for a freebooter. And human life is not regarded
+as very valuable down there.�</p>
+
+<p>“We’ll be careful, thank you!� Clay answered,
+and the sheriff and his men went off in their boats,
+leaving the boys looking wonderingly at their retreating
+forms.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,� Alex. grumbled, “what did they come
+here for, anyway? They simply let us know that
+they were wise to our troubles and went away—without
+finding out anything, or giving us any information
+except that they were acquainted with
+our movements.�</p>
+
+<p>“They did ask for the boy Chet,� suggested Case.</p>
+
+<p>“Don’t you suppose they know what it was I put
+in the deposit box at the bank?� asked Clay. “Of
+course they know! Now, why didn’t the sheriff demand
+the key and claim the diamonds as stolen
+property?�</p>
+
+<p>“It is peaches to prunes that he has opened the
+box long before this, or that some one has!� Alex.
+put in. “He’s the original little pry-in!�</p>
+
+<p>“I’m all out of guesses,� Jule declared, “and
+so I’m going to bed.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys saw nothing of the sheriff the next
+morning. They were on their way at an early hour,
+and, going at a swift clip, were within sight of New
+Orleans by nightfall.</p>
+
+<p>“Shall we spend the night in the city?� asked
+Case, then.</p>
+
+<p>“And where would we leave the <i>Rambler</i>?�
+asked Jule. “If we left it on the river we wouldn’t
+have any boat in the morning.�</p>
+
+<p>Without deciding the point the boys tied up some
+distance above the city and prepared supper. The
+moon arose in a clear sky about eight o’clock and
+the boys did not turn on the electric lights after eating.
+They sat in the moonlight on the deck and
+watched Captain Joe, Teddy and Mose tumbling
+about.</p>
+
+<p>“If it wasn’t so much trouble to dress,� Case said,
+after a time, “I’d like to go to a theatre to-night,
+and have a swell supper afterwards.�</p>
+
+<p>“You don’t want much!� laughed Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Why not go, then?� asked Alex. “I’m not too
+lazy to put on a decent suit.�</p>
+
+<p>“Do you mean it?� demanded Case, rising from
+his chair.</p>
+
+<p>“If the others will stay and guard the boat I
+mean it,� was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“Go if you want to,� Clay answered the inquiring
+look, “for Jule and Mose can help me keep off the
+pirates! Only don’t remain away all night.�</p>
+
+<p>“Ah done like to see dis town!� Mose suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“You’ll have to wait until some other time,
+Mose,� Clay replied. “You must stay on board and
+help repel boarders now!�</p>
+
+<p>The little negro grinned as if perfectly satisfied
+with the arrangement, and went on with his boxing
+match with Teddy. Case and Alex. dressed as
+rapidly as possible and were taken ashore, in the
+four-oared boat captured above Memphis, at the
+foot of a street not far from a trolley line running
+to the business center of the city. When Clay returned
+with the rowboat, Mose was on one of the
+willow mattresses which had been brought down
+the river.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes Clay called to him to come on
+board, but there was no reply. Mose was nowhere
+in sight. He had evidently started out to see the
+city on his own hook!</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon that is the last we’ll ever see of him,�
+Jule commented, as they gave up the search for the
+boy. “He’ll get to shooting craps in the city and
+live there forever. Can’t do anything with a kid
+like that.�</p>
+
+<p>“It is hard work to knock any sense into the head
+of a boy brought up on the St. Louis levee,� Clay
+admitted, “but I hope he’ll return.�</p>
+
+<p>“Perhaps he followed Case and Alex., and will
+return with them,� Jule suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“That would be like him,� Clay admitted.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were not sleepy and the moonlight was
+fine, so they sat on the deck until midnight, waiting
+for the others to return. They had not returned at
+one o’clock, and the watchers were becoming anxious
+when a call from the shore came to their ears.
+In a moment the call was repeated, shriller than before,
+and then there followed a splash in the river
+and a shot.</p>
+
+<p>The boys saw a figure swimming toward the <i>Rambler</i>
+and got out their guns.</p>
+
+<p>“Doesn’t look very formidable!� Clay observed,
+as the figure came nearer. “It looks like Mose!
+Now, what the mischief is the little coon up to, I’d
+like to know?�</p>
+
+<p>“It is Mose, all right,� Jule assented, “and there’s
+some one on shore shooting at him. He may have
+been up to some of his pranks on shore.�</p>
+
+<p>Directly the shooting on the shore ceased, and
+then Mose came on faster, not being obliged to
+swim under water half the time. He crawled,
+chilly and dripping, on deck and rolled his eyes at
+Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Dey done got um!� he exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>“What about it?� demanded Jule. “Who’s got
+them?�</p>
+
+<p>After much questioning it was learned that Mose
+had left the <i>Rambler</i> in time to overtake Case and
+Alex., that he had followed them into the city, and
+had seen them talking with Chet Vinton, the mysterious
+boy who seemed to turn up in the oddest
+places and to disappear in the strangest manner.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had talked with Chet for a long time,
+the little negro said, and had not gone to the theatre
+at all. Instead, they had gone into a disreputable
+part of the city with the boy, and had there met
+two men believed by the negro to be thieves.</p>
+
+<p>At last, at a late hour, the boy declared, still with
+much hesitation, Case and Alex. had attempted to
+leave the little cottage where they were sitting and
+had been forcibly detained. Chet, Mose said, had
+been the first one to oppose their departure. Then
+he, Mose, had dashed away to warn those on the
+boat and had been followed by some of the men he
+had been watching.</p>
+
+<p>He described in glowing terms and very bad
+English how he had jumped fences and chased
+through moonlit backyards, and how he had been
+shot at at every step of the way!</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon you were shot at because some one
+mistook you for a thief.�</p>
+
+<p>Mose looked reproachfully at Jule, and rolled his
+eyes wider than ever.</p>
+
+<p>“What are we going to do now?� questioned
+Clay. “I don’t know how much of this story to believe.�</p>
+
+<p>“One of us might leave the boat and go back
+with Mose,� the other suggested.</p>
+
+<p>At mention of his going back to the place from
+which he had fled, Mose rushed into the cabin,
+lowered his bunk, and covered up, head and ears, in
+the bedclothes! Captain Joe tried to worry him
+out, but without success.</p>
+
+<p>“I believe the dog can find them,� Clay remarked,
+presently.</p>
+
+<p>“I’m willing to go and try what he can do,� Jule
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>“If we could get that foolish negro to come
+along!� Clay commented.</p>
+
+<p>Jule went back to the bunk and shook Mose by
+the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>“Come on,� he cried. “We’re going to take Captain
+Joe out with us and find the boys. You’ll
+have to go along and show the way!�</p>
+
+<p>“Fo’ de Law’d’s sake!� wailed the boy. “Let
+dis coon die in hes bed!�</p>
+
+<p>“Come on!� insisted Jule. “You’ve got to
+come.�</p>
+
+<p>After many arguments and many promises of reward
+in the shape of yellow shoes and red shirts, the
+boy consented to go ashore again. Clay warned
+Jule to be watchful and cautious and saw him go
+away with Mose and Captain Joe with a feeling that
+a great deal depended on his good judgment.</p>
+
+<p>Jule and Mose were obliged to wait some time for
+a late car, and the walk to the quarter of the city
+toward which their steps were turned was a long
+one, so it was nearly three o’clock in the morning
+when they came to a dilapidated old shanty near the
+river front. Mose declared this was the place, and
+Captain Joe seemed to think so also, for he said
+quite positively, in his best dog-English, that there
+were people he knew in that old ruin, which was
+dark in every window and door.</p>
+
+<p>Now and then, as the boys and the dog stood in
+front of the house, loiterers of the night paused in
+their aimless wanderings and regarded them speculatively,
+possibly mistaking them for disreputables
+like themselves. For a long time there was no sign
+of life in the house, and then a soft footstep was
+heard at the front door and the boys heard a knob
+stealthily turned.</p>
+
+<p>Listen as they might, they heard nothing more for
+a long time, and then a figure dropped softly out
+of an open window and moved off toward the river,
+evidently failing to see the watchers crouched near
+at hand.</p>
+
+<p>“That’s Chet!� Jule muttered, starting away,
+but Mose shook his head vigorously.</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink24'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XXIV—SOMETHING DOING ALL THE TIME</a></h2>
+
+<p>Jule was at a loss what course to pursue. The
+boy who had left the house might be Chet, in which
+case he felt that he ought to follow and induce him
+to return to the <i>Rambler</i>, if that were possible.</p>
+
+<p>The diamonds which had been placed in the deposit
+vault belonged to Chet. At least the boy had
+had them in his possession when he came aboard the
+boat, and in the absence of any other claim upon
+them they belonged to him. If they did not belong
+to him, then their owner ought to be found. If they
+did, he ought to have possession of them.</p>
+
+<p>Just how a boy had become possessed of a fortune
+in precious stones, Jule was not trying to figure out
+at that time. What was in his mind was the thought
+that the question of ownership ought to be settled
+at once. This question, he believed, could best be
+settled by the boy himself.</p>
+
+<p>He waived, for the time being, all consideration
+of the possible connection of the gems with the
+Rock Island robbery, all consideration of the possible
+connection of the boy with the man known to
+him as Red, the Robber. Chet himself could best
+decide the question of ownership, and Jule thought
+he ought to be taken back to the boat, by force if
+necessary.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the boy was on the point of pursuing the
+figure, now fast disappearing in the shadows along
+the levee, Mose pulled at his arm and pointed to
+Captain Joe. The dog, with short ears and tail rampant,
+was crouching close to the closed door of the
+house, uttering low growls as his paws moved
+toward the threshold.</p>
+
+<p>“Alex. in dar!� the little negro exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>Then there came a heavy, stumbling footstep
+along the walk, and a burly man in the garb of a
+riverman paused at the door, overlooking the boys
+crouched at the angle of the house, but cursing the
+dog drunkenly. Captain Joe behaved remarkably
+well under the kicks delivered at him, and the newcomer
+took a key from his pocket and opened the
+door. Before he could enter the dog had disappeared
+in the darkness of the interior.</p>
+
+<p>“I reckon Alex. is in there, perhaps Case, too,�
+Jule muttered.</p>
+
+<p>“Yo’ sure cain’t fool dat purp!� Mose whispered.</p>
+
+<p>The boys did not attempt to follow on into the
+house by the open doorway, but passed on to the
+window and entered there. All was still dark inside.
+They could hear the man who had just entered
+moving about, still striking at and cursing the dog.</p>
+
+<p>Directly another key was turned, and then all was
+confusion. Jule switched on his flashlight and the
+circle it cut in the darkness revealed the man standing
+in a doorway with a long-barreled revolver in
+one shaking hand. The casings of the doorway appeared
+to be of two-inch plank, and the door itself
+was crossed by iron bands.</p>
+
+<p>The man turned as the light flashed out and
+fired, the bullet going wide of the mark. Then a
+voice came from the interior of the room, a voice
+which brought joy to the hearts of boys outside.
+The voice of Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Get him, Joe!� the voice cried. “Get him
+good!�</p>
+
+<p>The man wheeled and shot at the springing dog,
+but the bullet went off into the ragged ceiling instead
+of into Captain Joe’s head, as intended.
+Directly the dog and the man were in a struggle on
+the floor, the only light Jule’s electric.</p>
+
+<p>Alex. and Case came out of the room, leaping over
+the fighters, and seized Jule and Mose in enthusiastic
+embraces.</p>
+
+<p>“Wait!� Jule commanded. “Get the man on
+the floor first. The dog will take his life. Joe!� he
+added, “let go!�</p>
+
+<p>“Take him away!� shrieked the man. “He’s
+chewed my arm off now!�</p>
+
+<p>Jule picked up the fallen man’s revolver and held
+it to his head while Alex. forced the dog away.
+There was blood on Captain Joe’s jaws, and the man
+on the floor was breathing heavily.</p>
+
+<p>“Shut the door and put down the window!�
+Alex. said, presently, “and put the light out!
+There’s no more fight in this chap just now.�</p>
+
+<p>“Here, I’ll fix him,� Case said. “I’ll chuck him
+into this refrigerator and lock him up. See how
+well he likes his own medicine.�</p>
+
+<p>“But he’ll get right out!� advised Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, will he!� Alex. answered. “Then he’ll do
+more than we could. I’ll bet the walls of that hole
+are a foot thick! And the air? I’m choked to
+death.�</p>
+
+<p>“We tried our best to get out and couldn’t,� Case
+added.</p>
+
+<p>“Suppose we see if he is badly hurt before we
+leave him?� Jule put in.</p>
+
+<p>An examination showed that the dog had seized
+the fellow by the shoulder and bitten through the
+flesh, making an ugly though not serious wound.</p>
+
+<p>“That won’t hurt him!� Alex. declared. “His
+chums will come and get him in the morning, anyway.
+Chuck him in and lock the door and we’ll
+climb out of this!�</p>
+
+<p>“Isn’t the place watched?� asked Jule, peering
+out cautiously.</p>
+
+<p>“It would be if the outlaws weren’t drunk,� Alex.
+replied. “There’s a copper over on the other side
+of the street. Probably he heard the shots. We’ll
+duck out of a back window and make for the
+<i>Rambler</i>.�</p>
+
+<p>The boys were watched furtively by the policemen
+in that section of the city as they made their way
+along the streets with the dog, but they were not
+molested. When they came to the residence district
+where there was little fear of their being followed,
+Jule turned to Alex. with a grin.</p>
+
+<p>“How did you like the play?� he asked?</p>
+
+<p>“You saw about as much of it as we did!� was
+the reply.</p>
+
+<p>“How did you come to get into such a scrape?�
+was the next question.</p>
+
+<p>“The outlaws followed us from the boat,� was
+the answer. “Oh, yes they did,� the boy insisted
+as Jule grinned. “They were waiting for the <i>Rambler</i>
+to come down stream! They thought we had
+the diamonds and were going into the city to dispose
+of them. They swore they’d keep us in that hole,
+without food or drink, until we told them where the
+stones were! I wish I’d never heard of the
+diamonds!�</p>
+
+<p>“Who was the other boy?� asked Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“The other boy? Where? When? Oh, that
+was Chet! We’ll settle with him!�</p>
+
+<p>“The lad who jumped out of an open window
+just before we got in and ducked away toward the
+river. Was that Chet?�</p>
+
+<p>“Blessed if I know!� Alex. answered. “It
+might have been.�</p>
+
+<p>“I believe that really was Chet!� Jule declared.
+“It looked like him.�</p>
+
+<p>“How did you get here?� asked Case. “You’re
+a wonder! And Mose and Joe, too!�</p>
+
+<p>As the boys walked along the story of Mose’s
+runaway expedition was told, and Alex. immediately
+grasped the little negro boy by the collar.</p>
+
+<p>“You’re a little brick!� he exclaimed, “and I’m
+going to see that you have a ’possum for dinner to-morrow—or
+to-day, rather—if there is one to be
+found in the city.�</p>
+
+<p>“It is a wonder,� Case commented, “that the fellows
+didn’t make an attack on the <i>Rambler</i>! After
+they searched us, they talked for a long time in
+whispers and then started away. I believe they did
+go to the boat—and Clay there alone!�</p>
+
+<p>“We ought to make better time,� Jule observed.
+“Where do we get the trolley?�</p>
+
+<p>“Unless we get an owl car,� Alex. replied, “we’ll
+get none at all until the early run, and that will be
+after five o’clock. Guess we’ve got to walk it.�</p>
+
+<p>Eager, yet almost dreading, to learn the exact
+state of affairs on the motor boat, the boys traveled
+fast, breaking into a run now and then, much to the
+wonder and amazement of the few negroes they encountered
+making their way to the business section.</p>
+
+<p>At last, just before daylight, they came in sight
+of the boat. A short distance up the bank a bright
+camp-fire was burning, and several figures could be
+seen moving around it. All was quiet on board the
+<i>Rambler</i>. No lights were in sight, either from the
+cabin or the prow. The boys waited a short time,
+wondering, and then Jule went to the levee and
+looked for the rowboat. It was not there.</p>
+
+<p>“They’ve got possession, I reckon,� he said,
+when he came back.</p>
+
+<p>“Then all we’ve got to do is to take it away from
+them!� Alex. suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“But how?� asked Jule. “We can’t go on
+board without their seeing us.�</p>
+
+<p>“First,� Alex. went on, “I’m going to make a
+sneak up to that fire and find out what those men are
+talking about. They may be all-right fellows, for
+all we know.�</p>
+
+<p>The others waited breathlessly for the boy’s return.
+When he came back he said:</p>
+
+<p>“They’ve been on board and ransacked the cabin.
+They found no one there! Now, what do you think
+has become of Clay?� he added.</p>
+
+<p>“It’s a wonder they didn’t run off with the boat,�
+Case said.</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, they wouldn’t do that,� Alex. ventured.
+“They want to get us. I half believe the men are
+officers. What gets me is what they built that fire
+for?�</p>
+
+<p>“Probably thought we were fools enough to run
+up to it,� hazarded Jule.</p>
+
+<p>“But where is Clay?� demanded Case. “We’ve
+got to find him. Do you know if they left any one
+on board the boat?�</p>
+
+<p>“I didn’t hear anything said about that,� was the
+reply, “but it is a cinch that they did. And I believe
+there’s more than one on board, too.�</p>
+
+<p>“Hard luck to lose the boat after getting so far
+on our journey!� Jule commented.</p>
+
+<p>“We don’t lose the boat, if they are officers,�
+Alex. hastened to say. “What they want is the
+crew! We’ll fool ’em at that. I’m going to swim
+over and see what’s doing on board. If everything
+is all right, I’ll make a noise like an owl.�</p>
+
+<p>“That’s a nice long swim,� Case objected. “I
+don’t think you can make it.�</p>
+
+<p>“Mose made it, didn’t you, coon?� Alex. replied.
+“I’m the boy that poured the water into the Mississippi!
+Nice adventure this?� he continued. “I’m
+going to give the residents of the valley a chromo
+each for the manner in which we have been entertained
+by them! Here goes for the <i>Rambler</i>!�</p>
+
+<p>“You act like you meant to walk back to Chicago,�
+Case suggested, as Alex. started away, turning
+away from the river in order to avoid the people
+at the fire.</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, I’m only going to walk up a little way and
+drift as I swim down.�</p>
+
+<p>“Come up on the other side, then,� Case cautioned.
+“Then you won’t be seen.�</p>
+
+<p>When Alex. started away on his perilous trip
+Mose disappeared, and Captain Joe was nowhere to
+be seen the next minute. Case searched and grumbled,
+but did not find them.</p>
+
+<p>“They’ve gone with Alex.,� he suggested.
+“They always do. Well, let them go, they can
+swim better than I can! Wish I was along, also.�</p>
+
+<p>“If they are officers, the men at the fire,� Jule
+asked, “why don’t we go right up to them and find
+out what’s doing? They won’t lock us up, will
+they?�</p>
+
+<p>“That is just about what they will do if they get
+us,� was the slow reply. “We would get out of
+jail in time, but who wants to lie in a cell when
+there is so much fun to be had on the river? These
+fellows have been wired to head us off, probably by
+the sheriff we met up there. It may be that the
+diamonds Clay put in the deposit box have been identified
+as the ones stolen from Rock Island. I wish
+Chet would show up right now!�</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, well, if they want to coop us up,� Jule
+agreed, “we’d better cut our luck until they find
+out who stole the diamonds—or, at any rate, find
+out that we didn’t.�</p>
+
+<p>The boy ceased speaking suddenly, for the motor
+boat was getting under way, heading down toward
+the business wharves!</p>
+
+<h2 class='chapter' id='clink25'><a href='#toc'>CHAPTER XXV—COMMONPLACE, AFTER ALL</a></h2>
+
+<p>“Can that be Alex. moving the <i>Rambler</i>?� asked
+Case, as the motors sputtered out their insistent
+clamor. “I don’t believe he has had time to get on
+board yet.�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, Captain Joe has, anyway!� Jule declared,
+as a sharp bark came from the craft, which
+now seemed to be turning around. “That’s the
+Captain’s voice, all right.�</p>
+
+<p>Standing high on the levee, with the lights of the
+city growing below them, the lads watched the <i>Rambler</i>
+for a moment and then started on a run up the
+stream toward a small landing that was not far
+from the camp-fire.</p>
+
+<p>“If Alex. wasn’t on board,� Case reasoned,
+“Captain Joe wouldn’t be there. If Alex. is running
+the boat up to that landing, it is safe for us to
+go there.�</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Rambler</i> did tie up at the landing, and then
+the boys saw that the rowboat they had missed was
+tied to her stern. The willow mattresses were also
+still hanging on to the cords to which they had been
+tied. The men at the fire started up toward the landing
+as the boys reached it, but, much to the
+surprise of the lads, they did not attempt to go on
+board. In a moment Clay, Alex. and Mose showed
+their faces on deck.</p>
+
+<p>“Come aboard!� shouted Alex. “I’ve arranged
+a surprise party for you here.�</p>
+
+<p>“What is Chet doing on there?� demanded Case.
+“I thought we left him with his new friends, the
+thieves, in that old house in the city.�</p>
+
+<p>“This is no time for story-telling!� said another
+voice on board, and the man who had been known as
+Red, the Robber, came out of the cabin and sat
+down, calmly, on the gunwale. The boys on shore
+were, by this time, prepared for almost anything.
+When they reached the deck, Red waved a farewell
+to the men on the levee and the boat whirled down
+toward the Gulf of Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>“You see,� Alex. grinned, “we don’t know
+where we are going, but we are on our way.�</p>
+
+<p>“I know!� Clay insisted, “we are going to complete
+our trip to the Gulf of Mexico. We’ve had all
+the mystery we need on this voyage, and the next
+one that starts anything in that line will be banished
+to one of the mattresses!�</p>
+
+<p>“All right,� Alex. retorted. “We don’t care
+about knowing what this all means! I reckon it is
+too commonplace to refer to again.�</p>
+
+<p>He grinned at Red and Chet as he spoke, and they
+both laughed back at him.</p>
+
+<p>“We have with us to-night,� Alex. went on, in a
+very good imitation of the after-dinner orator,
+“Red, the Robber! His specialty is taking boats
+away from boys and sneaking off down the river
+with them—until some one gets the drop on him!</p>
+
+<p>“We also have with us,� he continued, “Chester
+Vinton, the waif who was rescued from a barren
+island in the Mississippi with a hundred thousand
+dollars’ worth of diamonds in his possession! He
+will soon do his stunt of telling how he found them
+in a piece of pie at a Rock Island restaurant.</p>
+
+<p>“This wonderful Chet is also the last word in
+friendship. When he sees boys who have befriended
+him, it is his habit to turn them over to thieves, who
+lock them up—not in anger, but to protect them
+from other naughty boys!�</p>
+
+<p>Instead of showing anger at this blunt talk, Red
+and Chet sat down on the gunwale and laughed
+until the river echoed back their voices. Clay also
+seemed much amused.</p>
+
+<p>“What’s the answer?� demanded Case, turning
+to Chet.</p>
+
+<p>“Now you boys just wait a short time,� Red observed,
+“and you’ll know all about it. I would tell
+you right now, only I see how hungry you all are.
+And, seeing that I have a monster beefsteak in the
+cabin, with ducks ready to roast, and eggs ready to
+fry, why, it seems like we ought to eat before we
+mix with any long yarns!�</p>
+
+<p>So Case and Alex. took to the cabin, and the odors
+of steak and coffee and roasting duck soon filled the
+boat. While the good things were cooking the <i>Rambler</i>
+dropped down to a wharf where a tank wagon
+of gasoline awaited them, and there, also, loads of
+provisions of all kinds were put on board.</p>
+
+<p>And the strangest part of it all was that there was
+nothing to pay! Red appeared to have temporary
+charge of the boat, and the bills seemed to have all
+been paid in advance. They were headed down
+stream when breakfast was eaten.</p>
+
+<p>“We ought to reach the Gulf in three or four
+weeks, if we hurry!� Red observed, as he carved
+the ducks. “That is, if we hurry in the right way!�</p>
+
+<p>“I thought it would take until spring,� Chet broke
+in. “I hoped so!�</p>
+
+<p>Alex. regarded the two with a whimsical smile on
+his freckled face.</p>
+
+<p>“How long will it be before you’ll both disappear?�
+he asked.</p>
+
+<p>“Never again!� laughed Chet. “Say, boys, I
+did make a quick get-away a couple of times?
+What? I hated to go, but I just had to.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, and you prevented Case and I making one
+at the house in the city,� Alex. said.</p>
+
+<p>“It is all as simple as twice two,� Red observed,
+sitting back from the table. “The robbery at Rock
+Island was planned and carried out by Sam, the
+outlaw who assisted me in the capture of the <i>Rambler</i>.
+I knew that at the time I was with him—at
+the time I let him go—or when you boys did,
+rather.�</p>
+
+<p>“But why didn’t you pinch him?� demanded
+Alex. “There’s a reward.�</p>
+
+<p>“Because I hadn’t then discovered the goods
+which had been taken. He was going to take me to
+them, I being a possible purchaser!�</p>
+
+<p>“Well, of all the nerve!� Jule cut in. “Just
+think of that, now!�</p>
+
+<p>“Were they in that old house on the bayou?�
+asked Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Some of them were. As soon as I got off your
+boat I wired back to have the place surrounded and
+searched. They found all the silks and furs there!
+You boys did a good job for me when you permitted
+yourselves to be trapped.�</p>
+
+<p>“It was Captain Joe and Mose who did the good
+job when they got us out!� Jule said.</p>
+
+<p>“Did you find Sam again?� asked Case, in a
+moment. “He was a corker!�</p>
+
+<p>“You boys found him in the swamp,� Red replied
+soberly, “and Mose executed the sentence of
+the law upon him—hanged him by the neck!�</p>
+
+<p>“So you are a detective?� asked Case. “Why
+didn’t you say so?�</p>
+
+<p>“I am not,� was the reply. “I am the owner of
+the warehouse that was robbed, and I set out to get
+the goods back, that is all.�</p>
+
+<p>“But you asked us to take Chet on down the
+river when he had the diamonds in his clothes!�
+Alex. exclaimed. “What about that? It was a
+funny stunt.�</p>
+
+<p>“Of course I didn’t know that he had the diamonds,�
+added Red, now to be known as Mr. George
+Redmond. “He told me about his having had
+them when I told him that Sam was dead, that was
+last night, in New Orleans. Then he told me that
+he had taken the diamonds from Sam because he
+wanted to restore them to me, but had promised
+Sam that he would never reveal his, Sam’s, connection
+with the crime. Of course Sam never knew
+positively that the boy had stolen the diamonds,
+but he suspected.�</p>
+
+<p>“And sent this riverman, Gid Brent, on board at
+Cairo to see if the boy was there?�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, he did that. By that time I was satisfied
+that the boy had been in on the robbery—that he
+had been forced to enter the building by way of a
+window and open the door for the thieves to enter.</p>
+
+<p>“I knew that the boy would tell the whole story
+to me if I could get him away from the robbers, and
+not scare him half to death by putting him in jail.
+So I followed him along down the river. As the
+robbers were making their way down toward New
+Orleans, too, I was doing a pretty good job following
+him—and especially as the robbers were after
+him, too. They believed, all but Sam, he had taken
+the diamonds, you see.</p>
+
+<p>“They got him last night and searched him, but
+found nothing. Then they told him that if he would
+get Alex. and Case into their hands they would let
+him go. So Chet did that very thing, and now the
+two boys are witnesses that the robbers admitted to
+them that they were in on the robbery!</p>
+
+<p>“When they let Chet go he made for the <i>Rambler</i>
+on a run, and found me on the way. All the
+people who were in the old house are under arrest.
+And the diamonds are up at Memphis in the deposit
+vault, and all is well.�</p>
+
+<p>“How do you know that?� demanded Clay.</p>
+
+<p>“Why, we opened the box, the cashier and I,�
+was the reply. “I knew they were there before I
+knew that Chet had ever had them. My one great
+difficulty was to get hold of the boy after he ran off
+at Memphis! Your boat was watched all the way
+down, you know, of course.�</p>
+
+<p>Then Clay told of his talk with the sheriff, and
+they all laughed at the idea that they had not seen
+through it all long before.</p>
+
+<p>“If Chet had kept to boats I could have found
+him,� Red went on, “but he rode on wreckage, and
+that made it difficult. I might have saved you boys
+and Chet some of this mystery talk if I had told
+you about it when I had Alex. in the cabin of my
+boat, after I knew where the diamonds were, but I
+thought I would let it work out for itself, especially
+as I was having the time of my life.�</p>
+
+<p>“I suppose those three mechanics were detectives,
+too?� asked Case.</p>
+
+<p>“They were just what they represented themselves
+to be,� was the reply, “and they got good positions
+at Vicksburg. They are expecting to meet
+you down the river, in a houseboat of their own. I
+saw them soon after they left you.�</p>
+
+<p>“I don’t wonder the robbers wanted to get hold
+of Chet,� laughed Alex. “They must have been
+red-headed when they found that the diamonds had
+been stolen from them!�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, they were,� replied Chet, “but they didn’t
+suspect me, at first. The man Brent, who came on
+board the <i>Rambler</i> at Cairo, would have killed me
+had he found me there. I was afraid he would, so I
+took to the river.�</p>
+
+<p>“And you took to the river again the night you
+threw the bag back on deck, too.�</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, I got pretty cold, too. I knew where the
+bag was, in the cabin, all the time, and I thought
+the diamonds were in it. Believing it would be safe,
+I did not take it and run away, as I had threatened
+to do, but when the cashier and another came on the
+boat I did take it and skip. When I found that the
+diamonds were not there I threw the bag back just
+to let you know I was wise to the game,� he added.</p>
+
+<p>“It is a commonplace story, after all, when you
+come to get it all told,� said Mr. Redmond. “If it
+has spoiled your river trip I’m sorry for it!�</p>
+
+<p>“We wouldn’t have had any fun only for that!�
+cried Alex.</p>
+
+<p>“Well,� Clay cut in, “now we’ll go down the
+river and have fun! We’ll spend two months or
+more on the way to the Gulf, and then we’ll put the
+motor boat on board a ship and sail her around to
+some point where we can get into the St. Lawrence
+river. The St. Lawrence comes next, you know.�</p>
+
+<p>“Why not put her on a gondola car again and
+take her as near to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence
+as we can?� asked Case. “I’d rather float
+down than sail up, any day.�</p>
+
+<p>“We will decide that when we get done here,�
+Clay answered.</p>
+
+<p>Those were two golden months for the boys, and
+Mr. Redmond seemed to enjoy the outing fully
+as much as any of them. They fished and hunted
+and loafed in the numerous passages of the delta of
+the Mississippi, and built roaring fires on the knolls,
+when they found them, and lived the care-free lives
+boys enjoy so much.</p>
+
+<p>And then they were off for Chicago, and from
+there to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence. Their
+adventures on this noble river will be found in the
+next volume of this series; entitled:</p>
+
+<p>“The Six River Motor Boys on the St. Lawrence;
+or, the Lost Channel.�</p>
+
+<p class='center' style='margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;'>THE END.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi, by
+Harry Gordon
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi
+       On the Trail to the Gulf
+
+Author: Harry Gordon
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2012 [EBook #38617]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS ON MISSISSIPPI ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was
+produced from scanned images of public domain material
+from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: On the top of the ridge-boards, the lads saw a
+half-dressed negro boy.]
+
+
+
+
+THE RIVER MOTOR BOAT BOYS
+ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+OR
+
+On the Trail to the Gulf
+
+By HARRY GORDON
+
+Author of
+
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Amazon,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Columbia,"
+  "The River Motor Boat Boys on the Ohio."
+
+A. L. BURT COMPANY
+
+NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1913
+
+By A. L. Burt Company
+
+THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+  I--A Rambler Reception Day
+  II--Alex. Goes Fishing
+  III--A Waif from the River
+  IV--Two Boys Get a Tumble
+  V--A New Captain on Board
+  VI--Captain Joe Makes a Hit
+  VII--Searching for the _Rambler_
+  VIII--Faces at the Window
+  IX--Red Declines to Talk
+  X--More River Outlaws
+  XI--Fire-Faces on the Island
+  XII--Half Full of Diamonds
+  XIII--A River Robber in a New Role
+  XIV--Alex. Breaks Furniture
+  XV--The Leather Bag Missing
+  XVI--What Dropped on Deck
+  XVII--Getting out of the Mud
+  XVIII--Swept Into a Swamp
+  XIX--Pilgrims from Old Chicago
+  XX--The Darkey up the Tree
+  XXI--Dodging a Police Boat
+  XXII--The Sheriff Knows a Lot
+  XXIII--A Night in New Orleans
+  XXIV--Something Doing All the Time
+  XXV--Commonplace, After All
+
+
+
+
+THE SIX RIVER MOTOR BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A RAMBLER RECEPTION DAY
+
+
+A white bulldog of ferocious aspect lay sound asleep under a small
+table. Lying across the dog's neck, with his soft muzzle hidden
+between capable paws, was a quarter-grown grizzly bear. Now and then
+Captain Joe, as the dog was named, stirred uneasily in his sleep, as
+if in remonstrance at the liberties which Teddy, the cub, was taking
+with his person. The bulldog and the cub snored in unison!
+
+The table under which the animals slept stood in the middle of the
+small cabin of the motor boat _Rambler_, and the _Rambler_ was pulling
+at her anchor chain in the muddy water of the Mississippi
+river--pulling and jerking for all the world like a fat pig with a
+ring in his nose trying to get rid of the line which held him in
+captivity.
+
+Although early in November, there were wandering flakes of snow in the
+air, and a chill wind from the northwest was sweeping over the
+Mississippi valley. There had been several days of continuous rain,
+and, at Cairo, where the motor boat lay, both the Mississippi and the
+Ohio rivers were out of their banks.
+
+In spite of the wind and snow, however, the cabin of the _Rambler_ was
+cozy and warm. In front of the table where the bulldog and the young
+bear lay stood a coal stove, on the top of which two boys of sixteen,
+Clayton Emmett and Alexander Smithwick, were cooking ham and eggs, the
+appetizing flavor of which filled the little room. A dish of sliced
+potatoes stood not far away, and over the cherry-red coils of an
+electric stove at the rear of the cabin a great pot of coffee was
+sizzling and adding its fragrance to rich contributions of the frying
+pan.
+
+While the boys, growing hungrier every second, stirred the fire and
+laid the table, footsteps were heard on the forward deck of the motor
+boat, and then, without even announcing his presence by a knock, a
+roughly-dressed man of perhaps forty years stepped into the cabin and
+stood for a moment staring at the bulldog and the bear, stood with a
+hand on the knob of the door, as if ready for retreat, his lips open,
+as if the view of the interior had checked words half spoken. Alex.
+Smithwick regarded the man for a moment with a flash of anger in his
+eyes, then he caught the humor of the situation and resolved to punish
+the intruder for his impudence in walking into the cabin without a bit
+of ceremony.
+
+"Look out for the bulldog and the bear!" he warned. "They consumed two
+river-men last week! The bulldog tears 'em down, an' the bear eats
+'em!"
+
+"What kind of a menagerie is this?" began the visitor, but Alex. gave
+the bulldog a touch with his foot, and the dog and the bear were in
+the middle of the space between the table and the stove, snarling
+fiercely, before the startled intruder could open the door. "Call the
+brutes off!" he added as Teddy began boxing the empty air.
+
+"Don't stand in the doorway!" Alex. warned, while Clay Emmett turned
+his face away so as not to betray his enjoyment of the situation. "It
+makes 'em mad to keep the door open! What do you want?"
+
+The visitor stepped outside and beckoned to the boys through the glass
+panel. Alex. went out on the deck and stood waiting. The visitor was
+evidently a riverman, tall, muscular, heavy of hand and sullen of
+face. He wore rough clothing, neither clean nor whole, and his face
+was well covered by a bushy beard, light in color except around the
+mouth, where it was stained with tobacco. Alex. noted that he looked
+away whenever their eyes met for an instant.
+
+"I'm Gid Brent, the riverman," he said, in a moment, "and I've come to
+warn you boys against starting out alone, on the river in this boat."
+
+"That's kind of you," Alex. replied. "What's the matter with the
+boat?"
+
+"It is the river there's something the matter with," replied the
+other. "The water is high, and is pouring into all the old channels
+and ditches from Cairo to the Gulf. If you start out without a pilot,
+you'll run into some bayou and end in a swamp, a couple of hundred
+miles from the main channel."
+
+"You're a pilot, eh?" asked Alex., with a provoking grin.
+
+"Yes; and I'm called the best on the river," was the boasting reply.
+
+"And you're looking for a job?" Alex. continued, insinuatingly.
+
+"I might accept the right kind of a job," Brent replied, "but I
+shouldn't want any menagerie on board with me. Where are you boys
+going?"
+
+"Oh, well," Alex. said, gravely, though there was fun in his eyes, "if
+you object to our pets, that settles it! We brought Captain Joe, the
+bulldog, from the Amazon, and Teddy Bear, the cub, from British
+Columbia."
+
+"Oh, if they're tame!" the other exclaimed. "I might----"
+
+"I'll call 'em out an' see what they say to you!" Alex. replied,
+mischief in his eyes, opening the cabin door and inviting the bulldog
+and the bear out to the deck!
+
+Captain Joe snarled at the man's feet and Teddy Bear stood up and
+squared off in front of him in a boxing attitude! Brent swung toward
+the little pier against which the motor boat lay, and the animals,
+thus encouraged, sprang at him.
+
+In a minute the pilot was on the pier, racing toward the shore as if
+for his life! Clay came out on deck and both boys stood laughing at
+the retreating figure. Presently Brent came to an old warehouse, where
+security might be found in an open doorway. Here he stopped and turned
+back, shaking a fist at the grinning lads.
+
+"I'll be even with you for that!" he shouted. "I'll teach you to set
+your dog on me, you miserable little bum-boat tramps! I'll show you!"
+
+"Get him, Captain Joe!" cried Alex., angry at the impertinent language
+used, but Clay caught the bulldog by the collar and held him back.
+
+"All right!" smiled Alex. "Let the tramp go, if you want to! Anyway,
+I'm about half starved! Funny, Case and Jule don't get back! They've
+been gone three hours!"
+
+"They'll get cold beans for supper if they don't show up pretty soon!"
+Clay said, turning back to the cabin. "The ham and eggs and potatoes
+are just done!"
+
+Even as Alex. closed the cabin door behind himself, running footsteps
+were heard, and the next moment two boys of about his own age,
+Cornelius Witters and Julian Shafer, made their appearance, racing off
+the pier and on to the deck of the motor boat like young colts. They
+dashed into the cabin and dropped down into seats at the table.
+
+"What's the matter with the fellow at the head of the pier?" Case
+Witters asked. "He called to us not to come down here! Said there was
+a crazy boy, a mad dog and a grizzly loose in the boat! Guess you got
+him peeved, didn't you?"
+
+"He's too fresh!" Alex. responded. "He came on board as if he owned
+the boat, and then had the nerve to tell us that we'd get lost if we
+went down the river without a pilot! He wanted a pilot's job! We
+should have given Captain Joe a bite out of him!"
+
+"Did he say he was a pilot?" asked Jule Shafer, with a wink at Case.
+
+"Sure thing he did!" answered Alex. "Said he was the best on the
+river!"
+
+"Well," Case began, "if he is a pilot he is out of practice! I heard
+him asking a man about the passage from Hickman to Reelfoot lake. When
+we went up-town that same man who spoke to us on the pier stood on the
+levee with a bunch of toughs. Their heads were together, as if they
+were planning mischief. I thought they looked at Jule and I in a
+strange way, too!"
+
+"I don't believe he ever came on board to get a job!" Jule broke in.
+"He's a spy! That's just what he is, and I wish Captain Joe had eaten
+him up!"
+
+"But why should he come spying here?" asked Clay. "We're not river
+thieves!"
+
+"Well, there's something odd going on at Cairo!" Case asserted. "There
+are crowds on the streets, and the policemen seem to be on their
+metal! I guess we would have been locked up as suspects if we hadn't
+had on pretty good clothes!"
+
+"Why didn't you ask some one to tell you about it?" demanded Alex.
+
+"We did," Jule answered, "and got our trouble for our pains! There's
+been a warehouse robbery up the river somewhere, but I don't see why
+that should make such a stir down here at Cairo. The merchant I
+ordered the gasoline of said that $100,000 in diamonds and furs had
+been taken, and that a watchman who resisted had been seriously
+wounded."
+
+"Perhaps they think we're the thieves!" suggested Clay.
+
+"I shouldn't wonder if they did," Case grinned. "Anyway, the men I
+talked with seemed to have loose shingles--they acted that way, all
+right!"
+
+"Loose shingles!" cried Alex. "You'll wash dishes for a week for that!
+Loose shingles is slang, and we're not to talk slang. If you wanted to
+indicate a slant in the belfry, why didn't you say----"
+
+"Slant in the belfry!" roared Case. "Guess that isn't slang! I'll have
+plenty of help washing dishes, all right. S-a-a-y, listen to that,
+will you!"
+
+As the boy spoke he lifted a hand for silence, and the four sat at the
+table silent and motionless. It was growing dusk now, and the deck of
+the motor boat showed dim under the gathering shadows of the night.
+While the lads sat there, listening, Captain Joe, the bulldog, ran to
+the closed door and sniffed suspiciously.
+
+"There's some one out on deck!" Case exclaimed, then. "I wonder if
+that fellow has had the nerve to come back here? I'll go and see who
+it is, anyway."
+
+"Why don't you wait and see what he will do?" asked Clay. "If he
+thinks we're the robbers, he'll show himself directly. If it is only a
+sneak thief, he'll take a jump in the river the minute he knows we are
+aware of his presence on the deck. Give him a chance!"
+
+Then three words came in a whisper from the outside of the door. They
+were spoken in a trembling voice, accompanied by a soft knock on the
+lower panel.
+
+"Let me in!" the voice said. It seemed like the voice of a child, too.
+
+"Come on in, if you want to!" Alex. answered. "This seems to be our
+reception day!"
+
+"Sure! Come on in! Don't be so mysterious about it, whoever you are!"
+
+As he spoke Case arose and opened the door. Instantly there tumbled
+into the cabin a boy of twelve or fourteen--a slender, thin-faced lad
+whose whole appearance indicated little food and little parental care.
+He did not rise to his feet.
+
+"Well, what is it?" asked Clay, taking the intruder by the arm. "Why
+don't you get up and introduce yourself? What do you want here,
+anyway?"
+
+"Don't switch on the light!" the boy pleaded, as Clay stretched his
+hand toward the electric switch. "They are watching the boat from the
+pier, and I don't want them to know I got in. That's why I didn't
+stand up when the door was opened. The railing of the deck protected
+me from the view of any one up there. I'm running away!"
+
+"You look the part!" Clay observed, motioning the visitor to a chair.
+"Why?"
+
+"Because they'll make me tell who stole the diamonds and furs up at
+Rock Island," was the hesitating reply. "They'll put me in jail if I
+don't tell!"
+
+"If you know and won't tell," Clay observed, "they surely will put you
+in jail!"
+
+"Why won't you tell?" asked Alex. "Perhaps you helped do the job
+yourself!"
+
+"No I didn't!" the boy said.
+
+He was about to say more when there came another voice from outside--a
+slow, steady voice demanding attention.
+
+"Listen, you kids in there," the voice said. "Listen, and I'll tell
+you what to do to save a couple of lives!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+ALEX. GOES FISHING
+
+
+"Things seem to be coming our way!" Alex. observed. "Can either of you
+boys see the fellow who is doing the talking?"
+
+Clay stepped to the cabin door and opened it. The night had fallen
+swiftly, and the deck was quite dark. The boy started toward the
+switch which controlled the prow light, but the voice checked him,
+coming, not from the pier, but from the water at the side of the motor
+boat.
+
+"Don't turn on any lights!" the voice said. "I'm right here under the
+overhang. I came to ask you to do me a favor! You look like decent
+sort of chaps!"
+
+"Thanks for the compliment!" Alex. put in, from the cabin door, where
+he stood with a freckled nose wrinkled to its full capacity--and then
+a little more!
+
+"Keep still a minute, can't you?" demanded Clay. "Let us see what it
+is the man wants us to do for him. Why don't you come on deck?" the
+boy added, bending over in the hope of getting a view of the strange
+visitor.
+
+"I don't come on deck," was the reply, "because I'm not lookin' for
+trouble! I'm in bad here, strangers, an' I want you to take the boy
+down the river with you!"
+
+The lad who had recently come on board now came up to the cabin door
+and stood in a listening attitude. In the deep dusk his face could not
+be seen plainly, but Alex., who stood close to his side, knew that he
+was shaking with the chill of the water.
+
+"The boy says he is running away," objected Clay, bending still lower
+over the deck railing. "We are not going to aid in any such a game,"
+he added.
+
+"Shucks!" came the answer, still from the water. "He ain't got nobody
+nor nothin' to run away from, that kid ain't! Hide him until you get
+out of Cairo, an' then I may be able to do something for him."
+
+"What's the answer?" Alex. cut in. "Why should he want to be hidden?
+Perhaps you're the man that robbed the warehouse at Rock Island! He
+just told us that he knew who did it! Come on deck, and we'll talk it
+over."
+
+"If you want to get away from Cairo without sampling all the jails in
+the county," the unseen man continued, "you'll slip anchor an' get
+down the river right soon! The men who are watchin' you are comin'
+down the pier now. I reckon they saw me talking from the bosom of the
+river. Before I duck under an' head for Missouri, I'll tell you that
+the kid you've got there is O. K. Take him along with you!"
+
+Then, much to the amazement of the boys on the motor boat, a shot came
+out of the darkness in the direction of the pier, and a bullet cut the
+water close to where the man lay, near the prow, half afloat and half
+clinging to the hull of the _Rambler_.
+
+"You see!" the unseen man said. "Drop down until this excitement is
+over!"
+
+"That's a cheerful kind of a merman," Alex. declared. "He heard the
+shot and took his own advice to disappear, anyway! What do you think
+of him? Heading a lot of gunmen in this direction an' then advising us
+to run away!"
+
+For a moment nothing was heard save the sighing of the wind and the
+wash of the river. Lights were showing in the city, which was not far
+from the pier, and one large street lamp disclosed the figures of a
+dozen men running toward the motor boat! The man who had done the
+shooting stood near the foot of the pier, a revolver in his hand. Clay
+sprang for the switch which controlled the prow light.
+
+"That's more like it!" came a voice from the shore, as the light
+flared out on the cluttered pier and the swirling waters of the river.
+"Why didn't you do that before?"
+
+"Quit your shooting and come on board!" Clay advised. "We understand
+the use of firearms ourselves! Come aboard and tell us what all this
+is about."
+
+"We'll come, fast enough!" said one of the advancing party. "Keep your
+lights on."
+
+In a minute more the little motor boat was crowded with rough-looking
+men, all armed, and all insisting that every nook and corner of the
+_Rambler_ should be searched.
+
+The boys offered no objections, but sat on the deck railing waiting
+for the men to perform their task and go away. Captain Joe and Teddy,
+however, objected strenuously, and it required the efforts of all
+four, before the search was completed, to keep the pets from being
+shot by those whose legs had been nipped by sharp teeth.
+
+Finally one of the men, who seemed to be in command, demanded of Clay:
+
+"Where did the boy who came on board go?"
+
+"He must have gone into the river," was the reply. "Just after the
+shooting I looked for him, but he was not here. Who is he, and what is
+he wanted for?"
+
+"He belongs to the man who robbed the warehouse office up at Rock
+Island," was the gruff reply. "If you shelter him you'll be breaking
+the law. What was that swimmer saying to you?" the fellow continued.
+"That's the man we want! Why should he come to you, anyway?"
+
+"I don't know why he should come to us any more than I know why you
+men should come on board with your insulting suspicions," Clay
+answered. "When you make up your minds that neither the man nor the
+boy is here, we'll go on down the river."
+
+The search continued for some moments, and the men reluctantly went
+ashore.
+
+"Honest!" Alex. then asked of Clay. "Honest, now! Where did the boy
+go?"
+
+"He must have taken a jump into the river," was the boy's reply. "He
+certainly is not on board the _Rambler_. He just disappeared when
+those men appeared."
+
+"Then he's probably drowned!" Alex. commented. "No one could swim long
+in that current. And the man, too, probably went under! Too bad!" he
+added, soberly.
+
+"Well," Clay declared, "I've got enough of the hospitality of this
+city. Suppose we drop down to-night? It will be risky sailing because
+of the flood, but at the same time it may keep us all out of jail.
+Those men may come back after they get a few more drinks."
+
+The _Rambler_ was a staunch little motor boat, fully competent to make
+her way in almost any body of water, but the boys were afraid of
+driftwood and wreckage, and also of running off into bayous which ran
+out into swamps for miles, with almost as strong a current as the main
+channel. Those who have read previous volumes of this series will
+doubtless recall the adventures of the four boys in Brazil on the
+Amazon river, on the Columbia river, far up in British Columbia, and
+on the Colorado river, as far up as the Grand Canyon.
+
+A month before that night in Cairo, the boys had launched the motor
+boat on the Mississippi far up near its source. They had struggled
+with sandbars and falls, but had at last worked round the Falls of St.
+Anthony and struck better water. They had met with plenty of
+adventures on the way, but nothing of the character of the happenings
+of that evening. The portion of their journey really worthy of record
+begins at Cairo on this early November night.
+
+The pets, of which the boys were very fond, had, as already stated by
+one of the boys, been acquired in Brazil and British Columbia, Captain
+Joe having been bought by Alex. at Para, and Teddy having been rescued
+from a tree wreck in the great river of the north. Both animals had
+been taught all sorts of tricks by the boys.
+
+"That's all right, about our being in danger here," Case observed,
+"but, at the same time, if we leave now, in the night, with the river
+up, we shall only confirm the suspicions of those on shore. Suppose we
+move away from this pier, so as to be out of the way of the mob, and
+anchor in another place, where those whose duty it is to look up
+suspicious river boats can find us if they desire to? For one, I don't
+like the idea of being chased down the river."
+
+"Solomon had nothing on you!" Alex. agreed. "We may as well remain
+here until morning. I must confess that I don't like the way the
+Father of Waters is acting!"
+
+"Well, let us get somewhere and settle down for the night!" Jule
+suggested. "I'm still hungry! Those fellows spoiled my supper. Who
+wants more ham?"
+
+"Say," Alex. cried, with one of his inimitable grins, "why not have a
+fish for supper? I won't be able to sleep much, on account of
+watching, and may as well have a good square meal! Then I'll sit up
+and you boys can go to bed."
+
+"Where can you get a fish to-night?" demanded Jule. "Think one is
+going to climb up on the deck? Ham is good enough for me right now!"
+
+But Alex. did not abandon the idea of having a fish supper. After the
+_Rambler_ had been taken a short distance up the river and anchored in
+a little bay which promised protection from the rushing current,
+loaded at times with driftwood and the wreck of houses and barns, the
+lad again broached the subject.
+
+"I can get the rowboat out," he insisted, "and let her down stream
+with a line. Then I can fish under that bank to the east. Don't you
+ever think all the river fish have moved into top flats because of the
+flood! I saw one jump up just a moment ago! You boys keep a good fire
+and I'll guarantee to bring the fish!"
+
+"Go it!" Clay laughed. "I wouldn't go out in a rowboat for a dozen
+fish suppers, but you seem to have the luck of the Irish on such
+occasions, so get to going!"
+
+"You'll eat the fish, all right!" Alex. taunted, "so help me get the
+boat down."
+
+The skiff was lowered from the roof of the little cabin and placed in
+the water, with a great splash. It tugged and strained at the cord
+which held it, and now and then received severe bumps from floating
+debris, but Alex. insisted on drawing it up and jumping in. Then he
+set about getting his fish for supper!
+
+For a long time the boy fished without receiving any intimation that
+there was a fish left in the river! The boat caught plenty of
+driftwood, however. At times great masses of trees and timbers would
+go sailing down, advancing out of the darkness into the circle of
+light about the _Rambler_ as if brought to life by the presence of
+mankind. Then the darkness would receive them again and the water
+would run clear for a time.
+
+The little bay where the _Rambler_ was moored was in a measure out of
+the sweep of the strong current, still the water eddied and swirled
+around the little rowboat in a threatening manner. Sometimes the boy
+had all he could do to keep the craft from turning turtle and dumping
+him into the river. The other boys, watching from the deck of the
+motor boat, often called to him to draw up on the line in order to
+avoid a mass of wreckage drifting that way.
+
+The strong, high prow-light of the motor boat cast a sharp
+illumination over the river for some distance up stream, revealing the
+approach of dangerous wreckage, and the lone fisherman was often glad
+to heed the warnings of his chums. At last, however, just as he was
+playing a fish which seemed to him as large as a whale, and twice as
+ferocious, he heard a call which he disregarded for a second.
+
+"There's a roof coming down!" Clay shouted to the boy. "It is likely
+to pay you a visit! Better come aboard!"
+
+"And there's something moving on it!" Jule shouted. "It looks like a
+baby!"
+
+Alex. was busy with his line. The fish supper was almost in sight! If
+he heard what was said to him he did not heed the warning, for he kept
+on playing his fish, which seemed inclined to take the rowboat down
+the river to the Gulf of Mexico!
+
+The piece of roof to which the boys pointed swung around the side of
+the _Rambler_ and was pulled in toward the shore by the eddy which had
+drawn so many lesser objects in. Then, for the first time, Alex. saw
+his danger. If the mass struck the boat it might crush it. At the very
+least it would be likely to break the line with which it was attached
+to the _Rambler_ and send him adrift!
+
+The boy seized the cable and began to draw the boat up to the
+_Rambler_, seeking protection under its bulk. Then he heard a cry come
+from the raft, and saw a mite of a boy reaching out his hands. The
+boat dropped back and the mass, edging in below the _Rambler_, struck
+it full on the prow!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A WAIF FROM THE RIVER
+
+
+The cable tying the rowboat to the _Rambler_ parted with a snap as the
+wreckage struck the light craft, and Alex. went rocking and bobbing
+down toward the Gulf of Mexico! The boys on the _Rambler_ saw him get
+out an oar to secure steerway, though he was pressed on by the house
+roof which had done the mischief.
+
+It was not a flat roof, but one with two steep sides and a sharp apex.
+It rode the current apex up, as if floating on a floor crossing under
+the eaves. On the top of the ridge-boards, clinging on with hands and
+bare heels, and shouting fit to wake the people of Cairo, the lads on
+the _Rambler_ saw a half-dressed negro boy of perhaps ten or eleven
+years. The more the roof bobbed on the waves the louder he yelled.
+
+When the line snapped Clay rushed to the motors and turned on full
+power. The _Rambler_ trembled as she thrust her nose against the
+current, wavered, and then, answering her helm, swung around broadside
+to the sweep of water, shook a mass of wreckage from her prow, as a
+dog shakes off water, and edged down stream.
+
+In a minute after the accident the powerful motor boat was chasing
+Alex., the little negro boy, and the teetering roof down toward
+Memphis! It was dark on the river, and the roaring of the waters made
+the prospect doubly disagreeable. The current was running fast, and
+that one minute of getting under way had swept the rowboat some
+distance down stream. Still it was just visible under the strong prow
+light.
+
+"There's Alex.'s fish!" shouted Chase, pointing to the cowering negro
+boy on the apex of the roof. "Wonder how he wants him cooked for
+supper?"
+
+"The last find Alex. made," Jule laughed, "was a bear! What will he be
+finding next? S-a-a-y, you coon!" he called out, shaping his hands for
+a trumpet in order to direct his voice, "don't you go to dropping off!
+We'll pick you up with the motor boat," he continued, as the little
+fellow began scrambling toward the water's edge.
+
+"There he goes!" shouted Clay, as the negro boy, not heeding Jule's
+directions, went clattering down the shingles and dropped into the
+river. "The little fellow was afraid we would go away and leave him!
+What do you think of that?" he added. "The coon is swimming like a
+fish to the rowboat!"
+
+The boy would have reached the rowboat handily if a heavy piece of
+timber had not intervened. It struck him head-on as he swam, and he
+went under the brown waters. Then the boys on the _Rambler_ saw Alex.
+throw off his coat, take the broken line between his teeth, and dive
+into the river, just missing the great timber as he went headfirst
+into the flood! There was a growl and a snarl on deck, and then
+Captain Joe and Teddy Bear were both in the river, swimming down
+toward the swaying roof.
+
+The bulldog, with the instinct of the intelligent canine, doubtless
+recognized the peril of the situation and took to the water on an
+errand of rescue, but with the bear it was different. He had been
+patiently taught to bathe and play in the water with the boys, and now
+he saw only a frolic ahead!
+
+However this may be, it was the bear cub who seized the negro boy as
+he came to the surface, half supported by Alex.'s arm. The little
+fellow had not been rendered unconscious by the blow he had received,
+and was able to sustain himself in the water as soon as he came to the
+surface.
+
+Alex. was busy hauling the boat back, or trying to, with the end of
+the line in one hand, and Captain Joe swam directly to him. He knew
+that if he released the line the rowboat would drift away, leaving him
+and his companions to be rescued by the _Rambler_, and he had a
+stubborn notion that he would like to get out of the mess without the
+assistance of his chums! They would then have no opportunity to make
+sly remarks about his skill as a fisherman! The fishline was wound
+around his left arm, and he believed that the fish he had been playing
+when the accident took place was still on the hook!
+
+The situation was clearing, for Alex. held to the line, and boy, bear,
+dog, and frightened negro boy, were doing very well in the swift
+current when another mass of wreckage came sweeping down upon them. As
+it came down Alex. dove under, and the negro boy started to do the
+same, but just then his eyes fell on the bear, hanging to his arm, and
+with a scream which only half disclosed how scared he was he scrambled
+on the floating heap of brush and was swept down stream!
+
+His round eyes were, apparently, as large as saucers and as white as
+chalk as he turned to see Teddy Bear pursuing him to his place of
+refuge. Familiar with the water game, the bear chased the negro boy to
+the limit of the wreckage and pushed him in with his nose. By this
+time Alex. was clinging to the rowboat, with Captain Joe serving as
+chaperon, and the _Rambler_ was at hand, the boys on board cheering
+Teddy and the negro boy as they chased around the brush heap from
+which they had been pitched into the river. Although they called out
+to the boy not to be afraid of the bear, his cries rose above the roar
+of the waters!
+
+Alex. and Captain Joe were picked up first, the rowboat made secure,
+and then the _Rambler_ rounded the floating mass of brush and took
+Teddy on board. The little fellow scrambled away from the hands
+reached out to grasp him, his eyes following the figure of the bear as
+it was lifted on deck.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" he gasped, his eyes round and white, "don' yo'
+feed dis coon to dat bear! He sure done eat dis chile!"
+
+When passed up to the deck the boy gave one look at the bear, let out
+another yell of fright, and, ducking into the cabin, dodged under the
+table, where he crouched on hands and knees, his eyes sticking out
+like white doorknobs. The boys were too full of laugh for the time
+being to try to explain matters to him.
+
+As soon as Alex. was on deck he began unwinding the fishline from his
+arm. Then he played it over the side of the boat, much to the
+amusement of his chums.
+
+"Perhaps you think I didn't catch a fish?" the lad demanded, with a
+wink at Clay.
+
+"If you didn't get a fish," laughed Clay, "it is about the only thing
+you didn't bring out of the river with you! We fished out a bear, a
+dog, and a baby coon with you! You surely ought to have a fish!"
+
+And Alex. did have a fish! It was firmly hooked, and came flopping out
+of the water when he drew in the line. Still under the table, with his
+eyes on the bear, the rescued negro boy licked his chops when he saw
+it. Clay observed the action and went to him. After a time the little
+fellow was coaxed out of his hiding-place.
+
+"That's a pet bear!" explained Clay. "He won't bite you!"
+
+The boy seemed to want to believe the other, for the sake of the fish
+supper which appeared to be coming soon, but he edged away from the
+cub, all the same!
+
+"You hungry?" asked Case, coming up.
+
+The little fellow nodded, and Case went on.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Abraham Lincoln Charles Sumner Horace Greeley Banks!"
+
+The little chap repeated the names in a sing-song tone, with the air
+of one who had been carefully drilled in the repetition. The boys
+broke into shouts of laughter, and even Teddy Bear nosed his way
+through the little group and stood gazing at the negro boy with
+reproving eyes! The boy tried to dodge away, but Clay held him fast.
+
+"Jerusalem!" Case cried, as soon as he could control his voice. "What
+a name! Where did you get it, chile?"
+
+"Mah mammy done 'stowed it on me!" was the reply.
+
+"Well, it is too long," Clay decided, "so we'll just call you Mose! Do
+you happen to be hungry, little one?" he added, with a glance at the
+fish.
+
+In answer the boy laid his hands on the region of his stomach and
+grinned.
+
+"Where do you live?" asked Alex., ringing the water out of his
+clothes, which had been removed as soon as he reached the deck. "What
+will your mammy say to your going off on the river? She'll wallop you,
+chile, good an' plenty!"
+
+"I done run away!" answered the boy.
+
+"That's two to-night!" grinned Alex., preparing to dress the fish for
+supper. "How many more are we likely to find before we get to the
+Gulf?"
+
+Teddy Bear, who seemed to feel that he was deserving of some attention
+for having rescued Mose from instant death in the river, now came up
+and brushed his soft nose over the boys' hand. Mose's eyes grew wider,
+but, seeing that the bear did not offer to bite, he ventured to stroke
+his head, whereat the cub sat up on his hind feet and asked to have a
+boxing lesson!
+
+"That bear is a spoiled child!" Case remarked, as Teddy began sparing.
+"He is no good at all--just a clown!"
+
+"Where did you run from?" asked Jule, anxious to know more of the
+negro boy.
+
+"San Louee," was the reply. "I done lived on th' levee!"
+
+"From St. Louis, eh?" Clay said. "Where do you want to go?"
+
+"I done hire out to you all," was the reply.
+
+"Of course!" Alex. laughed. "Didn't we bring him up out of the waters?
+He'll make a fine playmate for Teddy Bear!"
+
+"If he doesn't disappear, as that other waif did," smiled Clay.
+
+"Where do you suppose that boy went to?" asked Alex. "He never swam to
+shore, that is, to the other shore, and if he had landed on the pier
+when the men came on board they would certainly have seen him. I
+reckon the darkness just ate him!"
+
+"And the man who came to speak a good word for him!" Clay went on. "If
+he had been the thief wanted for the Rock Island diamond and fur
+robbery, he couldn't have been more mysterious. The boy said he would
+be made to tell about the robbery if they found him, and this man
+wanted to get him out of the way, so I guess we can put the pieces
+together and patch out the truth. The man is one of the robbers and
+the boy belongs to him!"
+
+"If I had the Sherlock genius you toss out so easily," Jule cut in,
+"I'd put it in a book. Why should the robber come to us to speak a
+good word for the boy? He ought to have known that we'd see through
+the game."
+
+"He may not be the robber at all," Case observed. "There was some
+mystery connected with the two, and that's all we know about it! The
+man is gone, and the boy is gone, and they are probably drowned, so we
+may as well count the story closed."
+
+"I'll go you a dinner at the Bismark, as soon as we get back to
+Chicago," Clay insisted, "that we find both the man and the boy before
+we get down to the Gulf!"
+
+"You're in for the dinners, then!" Case exclaimed. "And now," he went
+on, "what are we going to do to-night? Are we going on down the river,
+or are we going to get into some cozy little slip and anchor for the
+second time?"
+
+"I'm no good Solomon on an empty stomach," laughed Clay. "Wait until
+Alex. has his fish supper served! You want some, too, don't you Mose?"
+he added, turning to the little fellow, who stood gazing from the bear
+to the fish, now ready for the pan.
+
+"I's done gone empty cl'ar to mah toes!" was Mose's reply.
+
+After the fish had been eaten Mose was put to bed in one of the bunks,
+and the boys decided to go on down the river. They wanted to get away
+from any such entanglement as had been suggested by the visit of the
+officers and the search of the motor boat.
+
+They made a long distance with little trouble, as they were going with
+the driftwood, and at daylight tied up in a small bayou, at the end of
+which a deserted old house stood lowering down upon the flood with a
+touch of mystery in the broken windows and overhanging eaves!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+TWO BOYS GET A TUMBLE
+
+
+"I'd give a cent to know just where we are!" Jule declared, as he
+stood on the deck of the _Rambler_, waiting for Case's call to
+breakfast, the advance odors of which were creeping out of the cabin,
+where Mose and Teddy Bear lay on a rug together, evidently the very
+best of friends!
+
+"Give me the coin, then," Alex. exclaimed. "We are about ten or
+fifteen miles below Hickman, Kentucky, and we are on the Missouri
+side; and there's a loop of river which runs north a long way and
+comes back again. Some day the Mississippi will cut through the neck
+of land, and then there'll be another large island, with houses set
+back from the river a long distance! Give me the cent!"
+
+Jule gravely passed the coin over to Alex., who as gravely pocketed
+it, and drew Jule to a seat beside himself on the gunwale of the boat.
+Captain Joe came up to the boys as they sat there and wagged his tail,
+his nose pointing toward the deserted old house at the end of the
+bayou.
+
+"Do you see what the bulldog wants?" Alex. asked, in a moment.
+
+"He wants a run on shore," replied Jule. "He wants to get off the boat
+and do stunts on the grass. I'm with him in that, too!"
+
+"He's pointing to the old house!" Alex. suggested, with a grin.
+
+"Good idea!" winked Jule. "Suppose we go over to the ranch and see
+what sort of a place it is? We'll just sneak off after breakfast and
+be back in an hour."
+
+"Right," agreed Alex. "We may find a buried treasure! Or plunder from
+the Rock Island warehouse may be hidden in some dusty attic! What?
+That sounds like a story of John Paul Jones, out of a book!"
+
+"I reckon all we'll find will be rats," the practical Jule replied.
+"But I like to ramble over old houses. It evidently used to stand on
+the bank of the river, but some washout left it back so far that it
+was deserted. It looks like there might be ghosts hiding in it right
+now! Do you hear anything?" the boy added, as he bent his ear toward
+the neglected mansion, sinking to decay now for many a long year. "Do
+you hear anything that sounds uncanny? I thought I heard a ghost
+call!"
+
+"I half believe you mean it!" laughed Alex. "I believe you really
+think you hear something ghostly! If I were rich once for every ghost
+there is in the world, I wouldn't have a cent to my name! What does
+this ghost call sound like?" added the boy.
+
+"It sounded like a long, low call for help!" was the reply. "I believe
+all the calls from deserted houses are long and low, what?"
+
+"Right you are!" Alex. answered. "Say, what's the matter of taking
+Captain Joe with us when we go to the house? If there's a ghost behind
+the casings, he'll be certain to find and bring it out to us!"
+
+"Then I'm strong for Captain Joe!" cried Jule. "We'll bring the
+perturbed spirit on board and put it with our collection of animals!
+And there's the breakfast call, at last!" he continued, whereat both
+boys rushed into the cabin.
+
+Clay, who had been tinkering around the motors for half an hour,
+entered the cabin before breakfast was over, his face looking
+troubled, his clothing smeared with grease.
+
+"I have an idea that we'll stop here a few days until some one goes to
+one of the towns hereabouts and brings back some bolts," he said. "The
+motors are out of whack, and ought not to be operated in the shape
+they are in."
+
+"I'll go back to Hickman in the rowboat," declared Case. "I have a
+notion that I'd like to see the town."
+
+"And row against that current?" asked Alex. "I see you doing it!"
+
+"You couldn't do it in a thousand years!" Jule observed.
+
+"Well," Case went on, looking at his map of the river, "there's New
+Madrid, on the Missouri side. I might walk up there and back in a
+day."
+
+"Up there?" laughed Alex., looking over Case's shoulder. "Why do you
+say up there? New Madrid is north from here, all right, but it is down
+stream, for all that!"
+
+"Well, walk down there, then!" Case replied. "I want to learn
+something about that robbery anyway, and there may be news of it;
+besides, a walk along the river will be a sort of a picnic. It isn't
+more than ten or twelve miles to the town."
+
+"Then you'd better arrange to return to-morrow," Clay advised. "You
+are not used to such long walks. We are in no hurry to go on, for we
+have all the time there is until this time next year!"
+
+So it was finally arranged that Case should walk down to New Madrid
+and get the needed repairs for the motors, while the others looked
+over the country which lay about them. When Alex. suggested the visit
+to the deserted house, Clay was anxious to become one of the party. He
+said he had had the same idea in his mind ever since seeing the old
+place.
+
+"After Case goes," Jule suggested, "that would leave only Mose and
+Teddy Bear on board the _Rambler_. I don't believe it is safe to leave
+her alone."
+
+"Of course it isn't," Clay admitted, "so I'll remain here to-day and
+visit the old building to-morrow. Then you two boys can remain at
+home."
+
+Everything being satisfactorily arranged, Alex. and Jule started away
+up the bayou in the rowboat. The old basin was full of water, and so
+there was little current, which made it easy rowing. In half an hour
+they were at the foot of an old pier, slanting over on weak legs like
+a tipsy man. It was plain that the landing had not been used for
+commercial purposes for a long time.
+
+The boys fastened the boat and ran briskly up the rotting footway
+which led to the enclosure in which the old house stood. There was a
+wilderness of trees and shrubs in the enclosure, and the walks, which
+had evidently once been carefully tended, were now overgrown with
+weeds and long grass. Lizards darted out of unseen places and sped
+away as the boys advanced along a broken walk which led to the front
+door of the mansion.
+
+At the very threshold the boys paused, listening. The ragged blinds
+were flapping in the breeze, and the trees which rimmed the enclosure
+rustled and creaked in a most uncanny way, but these sounds were not
+the ones which brought the adventurous boys to a halt.
+
+The noise they heard sounded like the tones of a violin, coming from a
+great distance. The notes, faint, sweet, perplexing, rose and fell on
+the wind, now lifting into a weird song, now dropping to the softest
+melody!
+
+"There's some one here, after all!" Jule suggested, though there was a
+question in the way the words were spoken. "Some one lives here? What
+do you think?"
+
+Alex. pointed to the broken door which opened into the disordered
+hall, to the window blinds, beating the casings at the will of the
+wind, and at the long grass and weeds growing between the planks and
+stones of the walks.
+
+"I don't believe any one lives here!" he insisted.
+
+"Then what is it making the music?" demanded Jule. "If that isn't some
+one playing the violin you may eat my head for a cabbage!"
+
+They listened again. The sounds stopped directly, then there came a
+banging of doors and a rustle, as if some one in trailing clothes was
+being dragged through the hall. Then a shriek which appeared to come
+from directly under the feet of the boys cut the air, lifting into a
+terrifying yell at the end. The lads involuntarily started back down
+the path, but both stopped and faced the house again.
+
+"I'm not going away without knowing more about it!" Alex. declared.
+
+"That's the way I look at it!" grinned Jule. "We can't turn tail and
+run like a couple of cowards. I wish we had brought Captain Joe along
+with us!"
+
+"Clay wanted him for company," Alex. explained. "Joe looked like his
+heart was broken when we came off without him! I'll bet he runs away
+and comes after us!"
+
+Seeing that their automatic revolvers were in working order, the boys
+walked back up the broken walk, mounted the steps, and passed into the
+ancient hallway of the mansion. All was ruin and decay there. The
+floor was broken out in places, and there were marks of an axe on the
+casings of the door and on the narrow windows beside it.
+
+The stairway leading to the rooms above was broken, too, some of the
+steps being gone entirely. The lads stopped at the foot of the steps
+for an instant to gaze upward and then turned into a lofty room on the
+left. This must have been the parlor, and the apartment beyond it must
+have been the library.
+
+The furniture, which had once been valuable, was broken into bits, and
+a charred spot on the floor showed where a fire had been kindled. The
+rooms on that floor were all desolate and dismantled, and the boys
+soon turned their attention to those above the ruined staircase.
+
+Scarcely had they gained the head of the stairs when the music began
+again. It seemed to come down the wide hallway which ran nearly
+through the house parallel with the front.
+
+"We're getting nearer to the band!" Jule whispered.
+
+There was such a hush over the place, such a weird, uncanny
+atmosphere, that, somehow, the boys did not feel like being
+loud-voiced or boisterous.
+
+"We'll be running into a reception committee next!" Alex. returned.
+
+The music continued for a few seconds, then ended in a repetition of
+the dragging, rustling sound and the shriek which had been heard
+before. This time the noise indicating physical motion appeared to
+come from the very hallway where the boys were standing!
+
+Alex. and Jule continued on through the hall until they came to a
+partition which shut off the north end of it. There was a door in this
+partition, but it was locked. At first all the efforts of the lads
+failed to budge it.
+
+"There's one part of the ranch that hasn't rotted away," Alex.
+observed, as red-faced and perspiring, he paused in his attack on the
+door.
+
+"That shows there's some one taking care of it," Jule decided.
+"Suppose we try the door once more? It ought to give way before our
+weight."
+
+They both threw their shoulders against the upper panels and they
+dropped back, revealing a small room which had the appearance of
+having recently been occupied. There was a wide fireplace at the back
+of the room, which was at the end of the house, and a chair standing
+near the hearth was softly cushioned. There was a window on each side
+of the fireplace, but the curtains were drawn so all the details of
+the apartment were not visible. The boys drew back for an instant.
+
+"We're breaking into some one's house!" Jule whispered.
+
+"I guess that's right!" Alex. returned. "What ought we to do now?"
+
+"Keep right on until we get at the solution of the mystery," Jule
+answered. "It may be that we shall find a maiden in distress, and----"
+
+The boy stopped in the midst of his light-hearted speech and looked
+again through the broken panels of the door at the end of the hall.
+What he saw was a side door opening.
+
+As the door swung back an old man, white haired and walking with a
+stout cane, came into the room and sat down in the chair by the
+hearth. Then, without glancing toward the broken panels and the boys
+beyond, he spoke:
+
+"The door is not fastened, boys. You are welcome to enter."
+
+The boys entered, feeling ashamed and half afraid, and the old man
+pointed to two chairs by the hearth which had not been seen through
+the broken door.
+
+"Sit down!" he said, almost with an air of command, "and tell me why
+you are here."
+
+The boys sank down into the chairs; then there came a sharp click, and
+they felt themselves falling through the floor!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A NEW CAPTAIN ON BOARD
+
+
+Clay continued his work on the motors for a long time after the
+departure of Alex. and Jule. It was impossible to make them work with
+safety without the repairs Case had gone after, but the boy decided
+that the present would be a fine time to clean them.
+
+While he worked, polishing and oiling, Mose and Teddy came out of the
+cabin arm-in-arm! At least the little negro boy had one arm around the
+cub's neck!
+
+"You've got over your scare, eh?" Clay laughed, as the two came to his
+side.
+
+"Ah sure tu'n white las' night!" Mose declared, rolling his eyes until
+they looked like white billiard balls. "Ah's so scared!"
+
+"You are black enough this morning," Clay suggested. "Where did you
+come from?"
+
+"Ah done come f'm San Louee," was the reply. "Ah lib on de levee."
+
+"Did you run away from St. Louis?" asked Clay. "Did you come all the
+way from the levee on the roof Alex. fished you off from?"
+
+Mose, still playing with the cub, explained that he had sneaked on
+board a steamer at St. Louis, but had been put ashore at a landing
+above Cairo by the mate. Then, so great had been his desire to get
+farther south for the winter, he had taken a drifting boat and pushed
+out into the swollen stream.
+
+The boat had been crushed in a mass of wreckage, but the boy had
+managed to crawl up on the floating roof where he had been found. The
+mammy he had spoken of as having been so liberal with him in the
+bestowal of names was an old colored lady who had given him a place to
+sleep on cold nights and occasionally fed him when he was hungry. He
+knew nothing of his parents or any relatives. He was just a levee
+waif.
+
+After a time Clay went to the cabin and lay on his bunk, which let
+down from the ceiling, being usually drawn up during the daytime. The
+motors were still under process of cleaning, and various parts lay
+scattered about.
+
+Presently the boy heard a great racket on deck. Captain Joe's deep
+voice came in threatening growls, and Mose and Teddy scampered into
+the cabin. Clay sprang to his feet and made for the deck, not doubting
+that Alex. and Jule had returned and were up to some mischief. Before
+he reached the door he heard the sound of a heavy blow.
+
+He could see no one through the doorway, which Mose had left open,
+although most of the deck was in sight, yet the blow he had heard
+warned him that something out of the ordinary was taking place. He
+stepped back to a shelf for his revolver.
+
+He knew that during floods bands of outlaws frequented the river in
+quest of plunder, and it was his first impression that one of these
+had discovered the motor boat and was trying to board her. He wondered
+at the silence of the dog.
+
+As the boy reached for his weapon, a gruff voice from the cabin
+doorway commanded him to face about and hold up his hands.
+
+"And hold 'em up empty, too!" the gruff voice said.
+
+There was nothing for Clay to do but to obey. It was with an effort,
+however, that he kept his arms extended. The leering eyes of the man
+with the face of a fox who stood before him with a revolver pushed
+almost into his face caused such hot surges of rage to fill the boy's
+brain that he came near facing the peril and springing upon the
+outlaw.
+
+Mose, levee bred and wise to the unlawful purpose of the intruder,
+moved stealthily toward the shelf where Clay's revolver lay, in plain
+sight. In another second it would have been in the little fellow's
+hand, with what result Clay could not imagine, but the outlaw saw the
+movement and edged forward, still keeping the revolver leveled at
+Clay, much to the latter's disgust.
+
+"Here, you coon!" the man shouted, "get over in that corner and stay
+there! Move, or I'll give you a lift!"
+
+The brute gave Mose a savage kick in the side as he spoke. It was one
+thing for Clay to be placed in a humiliating position, to be
+threatened with a gun, but it was quite another for him to stand
+inactive and see a boy brutally treated! Disregarding all his thoughts
+of the uselessness of the move, the boy sprang at the outlaw.
+
+Although only a boy, Clay was muscular and in training. The man he had
+attacked was stronger and heavier than the lad, but he was slower of
+movement, and the result of the conflict might have been a victory for
+Clay if the two had been permitted to continue the struggle
+unmolested.
+
+While the meager furniture of the little cabin was being broken and
+tossed hither and yon by the combatants, while Teddy was jumping
+about, eager to get hold of one of the fighters--as he had been taught
+to do when the boys were wrestling--and while Mose was doing his best
+to get over to the shelf where the revolver lay, there came a quick
+jar on deck, a jar caused by the bunting of a boat against the hull of
+the _Rambler_, and then hurrying footsteps on the forward deck.
+
+Clay fought all the harder when the sounds reached his ears, for he
+was sure that Alex. and Jule had returned, and that short work would
+now be made of the intruder. He was gradually securing a hold on his
+enemy which would have ended the battle when he was seized and
+lifted--by a giant, it seemed to him--clear of the cabin deck and held
+there while the outlaw slowly regained his feet and picked up his
+weapon.
+
+Clay saw that it was the other side that had received the
+reinforcements, and motioned to Mose to remain quiet and keep out of
+sight. He feared that further activity on the part of the negro boy
+would add to his punishment.
+
+After catching his breath, the outlaw with whom Clay had been
+struggling lifted a pair of bloodshot eyes to Clay's face and sprang
+at him, his huge fists clenched until the knuckles showed hard and
+white.
+
+"You bum!" he shouted, lunging at the lad, "I'll give you some of your
+own medicine! What do you mean by striking me?"
+
+The blow would have landed squarely in the boy's face, but the man who
+had picked him off the outlaw warded it off with a fist like a ham,
+and set the boy behind the great bulk of his own person. Clay was
+encouraged by this defense, and began hoping that he had found a
+friend instead of another enemy.
+
+But this hope was soon shattered, for the newcomer produced a hard
+cord, which had evidently once been used as a fishline, and coolly
+proceeded to tie the boy's wrists. This task completed to his
+satisfaction, he pushed the boy over on his bunk and tossed Mose on
+top of him.
+
+"There!" he cried. "You keep quiet, or I'll turn Sam loose on you!
+And, Sam, if you molest the boy again I'll settle with you for it. I
+take it he had a right to fight for his boat! And the little coon! You
+keep your hands off him, too!"
+
+The man called Sam flashed an ugly look out of his foxy, inflamed eyes
+and went out on deck. In a moment he was seen in the doorway again,
+dragging Captain Joe after him.
+
+"Shall I pitch the dog overboard?" he asked, in a surly tone. "He took
+a piece out of my leg and I gave him a rap on the head. He's knocked
+out!"
+
+Clay sat up on the bunk and glared at the man, who was still holding
+the bulldog by the collar. At that moment, whatever the consequences,
+the fellow's life would not have been worth a farthing if the boy had
+had a gun!
+
+"Don't let him kill the dog!" Clay said, appealing to the giant. "He's
+a good fellow, that dog! Of course he bit that robber! He wouldn't
+have been a good dog if he hadn't. Take what you want on the boat, but
+let the dog live."
+
+The giant, who was at least six foot six inches in height and large in
+proportion, looked Captain Joe over after the manner of one acquainted
+with dogs while Clay awaited his decision anxiously.
+
+"The kid is right," he finally declared. "This is a good dog, and
+we'll keep him with us. Took a piece out of your leg, did he?"
+
+The big fellow placed his hands on his mammoth hips, threw back his
+head until his hairy throat rose like a sturdy column of strength, and
+poured forth such a torrent of laughter that Teddy came out of the
+cabin to see what new sport was being prepared for his amusement. Sam
+struck at the cub, but the other pushed him away before he had done
+any mischief.
+
+"That's a good one!" roared the giant. "Took a piece out of your leg,
+did he? If he ain't pizened, and lives after that, I'll keep him.
+There's a heap of pizen snakes down my way that need looking after.
+Took a piece out of your leg! That's too good for anything! Ho! Ho!
+Ho! Took a piece out of your leg!"
+
+"I hope he'll some day take a piece out of that throat of yours!"
+roared Sam.
+
+"No doubt, no doubt!" replied the giant. "He may be a doin' of it when
+the hangman is busy puttin' a new hemp tie about that weazen of yours!
+Now let the kids and the dog and bear alone, and help work the boat
+out into the current. We've got to be getting out of this!"
+
+"You'll have to put the motors together before you move her," Sam
+replied.
+
+The giant looked thoughtfully at the scattered fragments, then at
+Clay, still in the bunk, and scratched a thatch of red hair which
+looked like a hayrick.
+
+"It seems to need puttin' together," he said, beckoning to Clay.
+
+Then the boy saw that it was the intention of the outlaws to take
+possession of the _Rambler_ and shift her down stream before any of
+the boys returned. He thought of Alex. and Jule, marooned on that
+desolate point of land where the old house stood, of Case, trudging
+back from New Madrid with the repairs to find the boat gone!
+
+He glanced about hopelessly, searching the shores of the bayou on the
+faint chance of seeing Alex. and Jule returning. Captain Joe was now
+regaining consciousness in the cabin, and Teddy was trying to interest
+him in a boxing match! Mose sat in a corner motionless, except that
+his eyes rolled about in anger or panic, the boy could not determine
+which.
+
+"Well, get the engines together!" ordered the giant.
+
+"There are parts missing," Clay answered. "One of the boys has gone to
+New Madrid for repairs. She won't run a foot without them."
+
+Sam and the giant conversed together for a moment, and then the former
+called out to Mose, emphasizing his words with a threatening gesture:
+
+"Here, coon!" he shouted. "Can you swim?"
+
+"Ah sho' can," was the reply.
+
+"Then jump ashore and take this dog with you. If I ever see either of
+you again I'll take your hides off!"
+
+"It would improve matters to hold 'em under a while!" he added,
+angrily.
+
+"I won't have it," the giant returned. "No murder for me!"
+
+"You'll see what'll come of lettin' 'em go!" Sam warned.
+
+"Git!" ordered the big fellow, in a not unkind tone, and Mose, nothing
+loth, gathered the dog in his arms and leaped into the bayou.
+
+Clay almost held his breath for a moment, until he saw that the cold
+water had revived the dog, and that he was swimming. Then his
+attention was attracted to the outlaws, who were, with pole and oar,
+edging the _Rambler_ out into the river.
+
+He believed that the boat would be wrecked the moment it, helpless,
+struck the mass of floodwood sweeping down. Presently he felt the push
+of the current, and the boat went whirling down stream, tipping from
+side to side as she spun around, helpless in the current.
+
+Then a great tree struck the stern and half capsized her. The end
+seemed at hand.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+CAPTAIN JOE MAKES A HIT
+
+
+While the _Rambler_, in charge of reckless river pirates, was swinging
+down with the current, threatening to capsize every instant, Alex. and
+Jule sat flat on a rotten, yielding floor somewhere in the interior of
+the deserted house, feeling tenderly over their limbs to see if they
+had received severe injuries during the fall from the room where they
+had been so inhospitably welcomed by the aged man.
+
+The boys had not fallen far. In fact, it seemed to them that they had
+only slid down a gentle incline to the story below. A hatch in the
+floor in front of the hearth had been dropped back, and their chairs
+had slid into a chute which seemed, from its smoothness, to be in
+frequent use.
+
+For a minute the boys were alarmed, excited, angry, then the humor of
+their sudden removal from the apartment above appealed to them. Alex.
+was first to speak.
+
+"Vot iss?" he exclaimed. "This must be a page of a comic section in
+one of the Chicago newspapers. How many legs and arms have you
+broken?"
+
+"Not a one!" answered Jule. "What kind of hospital treatment do you
+require?"
+
+"If I felt any better," laughed Alex., "I wouldn't know what to take
+for it."
+
+It was dark as pitch where the boys were, and they felt about until
+their hands touched. The personal contact gave them new courage.
+
+"What do you make of it?" asked Jule. "This doesn't look good to me!"
+
+"We've simply butted in on some other fellow's game," Alex. replied.
+"We seem to have visited a crank who thinks it best to be prepared in
+advance for unwelcome guests."
+
+"A moonshiner or a river pirate!" Jule suggested.
+
+"That's about it!" Alex. answered. "We've interrupted the industry of
+a set of illicit whisky makers or warehouse thieves. The valley is
+said to swarm with bandits whenever the river is out of its banks.
+Now, the question is how are we going to get out and back to the
+_Rambler_?"
+
+They did not know that at that moment Clay and the motor boat were in
+a situation far more serious than that in which they now found
+themselves!
+
+"I wish it wasn't so dark here!" Jule whispered.
+
+"Why the soft pedal?" asked Alex. "We've got a right to talk as loudly
+as we like, I take it, being alone in a dark old donjon keep!"
+
+"There's some one in the room with us!" Jule explained, in a whisper
+which barely reached his chum's ears, so faint it was. "I hear him
+breathing."
+
+"Hello!" Alex. called out, then. "Hello! Come on out an' be a good
+fellow!"
+
+There was no answer, and then Alex., reaching into a capacious pocket,
+brought out a small electric torch and pushed the button. On board the
+_Rambler_ or on shore, it was a rule of the boys never to move about
+without an electric torch and an automatic revolver ready for use.
+
+When the light flashed out, its round circle showed only a room twenty
+feet square in size, with bare discolored walls. Plastering hung to
+broken lath, so they knew that they were on the ground floor of the
+deserted house, and not in the cellar. The floor was worn, and the
+rough boards which half protected the broken windows showed signs of
+having been long in position. There was no furniture at all in the
+place.
+
+"Looks like we might rip off a board and walk out," Jule said, still
+speaking in a very low tone of voice.
+
+"Don't you ever think we're not watched!" Alex. hastened to say. "I
+don't know but I made a mistake in showing this light."
+
+"There's only one way to discover whether we are watched or not," said
+the other, "and that is to try to get away. I'm going after that
+window."
+
+As Jule spoke he moved toward a window which seemed to open on the
+bayou, as a gleam of water could be seen through the cracks in the
+window-guard. The instant his hand touched a crumbling board a voice
+came out of the darkness.
+
+"I wouldn't do that, boys!"
+
+That was all. Jule stopped at the uncanny interruption with a hand
+suspended in air, and Alex. quickly flashed his light in the direction
+from which the sound had come.
+
+There was no one in sight. Rats or other creeping, crawling, things
+seemed to be working in the disreputable walls, for there was a
+continuous scratching noise, but there were no other sounds. Alex.
+shut off the light and sat down on the floor again.
+
+"I guess it is no use!" he said. "We'll have to surrender!"
+
+"There will always be someone here to see that you don't get away!"
+said the voice. "If you make any trouble, you won't get anything to
+eat! Now, be good!"
+
+"You can keep me as gentle as a lamb by feeding me right!" Alex. said,
+with a chuckle which was rather forced. "Why don't you show up?"
+
+"You'll see me soon enough," the voice went on. "In the meantime,
+don't show that electric light again, and if you have any weapons lay
+them on the floor in this corner."
+
+"I haven't any," lied Alex. "I brought the light instead."
+
+As he spoke the boy nudged Jule, and he, understanding, slid his
+revolver along the floor in the direction of the voice. It struck
+against the wall with a metallic thud.
+
+"That's right!" the voice in the darkness said. "Now, you with the
+light, send it over here. I might want to use it!"
+
+Alex. slid his torch along the floor. In its progress the button was
+pressed and a round illumination sprang up on the wall. Almost in the
+center of this they saw the white hair and beard of the old man who
+had invited them into the room above!
+
+The boys sat for a long time in serious thought after that, well
+knowing that every word uttered would be heard by their guardian.
+Alex. was more than hopeful in his views of the situation.
+
+"If these fellows were professionals," he mused, "they wouldn't take
+any chances on us not having more weapons and more lights. They would
+make sure by searching us! I don't believe they ever took a prisoner
+before, or that they are very anxious about keeping us. I guess we
+just butted in where we're not wanted, and they'll let us go after a
+time. Anyway, they're easy!"
+
+Directly loud noises were heard in the old house, and the insecure
+walls shook under heavy burdens. It seemed to the listening lads that
+huge boxes and barrels were being transferred from one room to
+another.
+
+There were excited voices, too, although no words could be understood.
+It seemed to the two prisoners that the old mansion was being
+deserted, and their impression was that the thieves were removing
+their plunder because their hiding-place had been intruded upon. In
+that case, they thought, they might soon be released.
+
+After what seemed a whole day, food was pushed into the room, and the
+boys ate heartily of the fresh pork sausages, corn pones, and sweet
+potatoes given them.
+
+"You're all right on the feed!" Alex. called back in the direction of
+the corner where for an instant the old man had been seen.
+
+There was no answer, but, somehow, the boys were convinced that there
+was some one there in the room with them. It does not always require
+the eyes, or the hands, or the ears, or the sense of smell, to show
+one that others are close by.
+
+There is a tingling of the nerves which warns of the presence of
+hostile elements, and this it was which showed the prisoners that they
+were still under guard.
+
+That was a long afternoon. For the most part there were no sounds in
+the old house; still, now and then, there came the jar of heavy
+burdens on the floors, and the sharp and angry voices of men, speaking
+in a tongue the boys did not understand.
+
+When the cracks in the boards at the windows began to darken, they
+knew that night was falling. They thought of the comfortable cabin of
+the _Rambler_, and of the companionship of the other boys with spasms
+of anger and regret. As the darkness became more complete outside,
+they arose and walked up and down the floor of their little room.
+
+"Say, Mister!" Alex. called out to their invisible guard, directly,
+"how many acts are there in this drama? When do the persecuted
+c-h-e-i-l-d-s return to their agonized and heart-broken parents?"
+
+"I'm as weary of it as you are!" was the remarkable answer, still in
+that calm voice they had heard before.
+
+"Then why don't you cut it out?" asked Jule.
+
+"There are men in the party who advise that," was the significant
+answer. "They are at present discussing your fate. Many declare that
+it is not wise to permit you to leave the place! I'm sorry for you,
+but you had no right to snoop in here!"
+
+"Next time," Alex. replied, "you hoist a piracy flag, and we'll keep
+away."
+
+"When will this strategy board you refer to make a report?" asked
+Jule.
+
+"I may receive orders at any moment," was the answer.
+
+Silence followed. There were crunchings and chatterings, in the walls
+where rodents were busy making nests, but no sound of human action. In
+the long wait the boys heard a low, inquisitive sniff!
+
+Alex. drew Jule's head over to him and whispered in his ear:
+
+"That's Captain Joe, for a dollar and a half!"
+
+"You're on!" Jule responded. "I'll be glad to lose the bet at that,
+too!"
+
+"I guess I know that inquisitive snort!" Alex. went on. "Besides, I
+told you that the dog would find some way to get to us!"
+
+"Aw, Clay sent him!" declared Jule. "He never found his way here
+alone."
+
+"The boys may be with him," Alex. suggested, as the sound came again.
+"I hope he won't make enough noise to disturb his nibs, over in the
+corner. Good old dog!"
+
+After a time they heard the patter of the dog's feet, and then the
+guard whistled softly, as if attempting to make friends with whatever
+animal was approaching.
+
+"Come here, you foolish dog!" he said. "Why don't you come in out of
+the dark?"
+
+The pat-pat of the dog's soft feet came nearer, and the guard spoke
+again:
+
+"How the Old Harry did you get in here?" he demanded. "Whose dog are
+you, anyway?"
+
+The dog growled and there came a flash of light. The guard, becoming
+afraid of this thing which had found its way into a room supposed to
+be secure from intrusion, and had switched on the electric.
+
+The light revealed the two prisoners, grouped together in the middle
+of the room, the old man, standing with weapon extended and with
+staring eyes, Captain Joe all ready for a spring, an open window, and,
+lastly, the black face of Mose overlooking the scene with eyes which
+seemed too large for his head!
+
+"Get him, Joe!" cried both boys in unison.
+
+The light dropped as the dog leaped, and a revolver clattered to the
+floor. Alex. had hold of the dog in an instant, his other hand
+reaching for the rolling flashlight.
+
+"Don't eat him up, Joe!" the boy said, tearing the dog away from the
+fallen man. Captain Joe fell away with a sullen growl.
+
+"The brute has bitten my arm!" the old man moaned.
+
+"If you remain quiet," Alex. said, "you won't have any more wounds to
+complain of. We'll just tie you up and get out! After we are gone some
+one will come and let you out. What sort of a place is this, anyway?"
+
+The old man groaned and made no reply, so the boys secured him and
+crept out of the window into the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+SEARCHING FOR THE _RAMBLER_
+
+
+Case found the walking fairly good and reached New Madrid shortly
+before noon, having started about 8 o'clock. He procured the supplies
+for which he had been sent and then sought the hotel and partook of an
+excellent dinner.
+
+"Now," he thought, "shall I walk back to the _Rambler_ to-night, or
+shall I remain here and look over the town?"
+
+The question was soon decided, for all there was of the town could be
+seen in a very short time. At 1 o'clock he started back to the motor
+boat. At 5 o'clock, just as the sun was setting, he came to the bayou
+where the _Rambler_ had been anchored.
+
+There was no boat there. The night was falling fast, and the bayou and
+the river were dimly seen through a slight mist. The boy stood on the
+bank of the bayou for a long time, studying the situation.
+
+"There's something wrong!" he decided. "The motors could never have
+been forced into motion with the parts missing! The boys would never
+attempt to drift down, for the river is still filled with drifting
+timbers and wrecks of houses and barns.
+
+"And even if they should have decided to change locations,
+notwithstanding the peril of the undertaking, they would never have
+gone away without leaving some one here to notify me of the new
+position!"
+
+Passing on up the bank of the bayou, searching for some sign in the
+darkness, Case finally came upon the rowboat which Alex. and Jule had
+left half concealed in a tangle of bushes in a little bay. Before him,
+then, lay the old house, dim in the night. He had heard the boys talk
+of visiting the place, and at once concluded that they were there.
+
+He looked over the structure for lights, but saw none. Then he
+listened, catching in time the sounds which the two boys had noted. He
+crouched down in a patch of shrubbery and waited, listening for some
+indication of the presence of his chums.
+
+Directly he heard a shrill scream of fright, then the bushes between
+his hiding-place and the house were shaken violently, and a small
+figure darted out, running at top speed and sending a scream into the
+night at every jump!
+
+"If that isn't Mose," Case thought, "then there are two young negroes
+with most extraordinary calliope possibilities! He runs like the Old
+Scratch was after him, and has plenty of wind left to tell how scared
+he is!" he added.
+
+The small figure came smashing through the shrubbery and finally
+landed in the thicket where Case had secreted himself. Here he
+stumbled over a trailing vine and fell forward on his face. Before he
+could regain his feet Case had him by the arm.
+
+"Mose!" he said. "Keep quiet! You'll have all the pirates in the state
+steering in this direction! What is the matter?"
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake leave dis nigger go!" wailed Mose. "Dar's ghostes
+in dat ol' house, an' dey's got de boys!"
+
+"Are the boys in there?" demanded Case, giving the frightened lad a
+gentle shake to bring him back to his senses. "Where is the
+_Rambler_?"
+
+"Ah don' know!" gasped the little negro. "Piruts don' got de boat, an'
+dem ghostes don' 'pear fo' dis nigger!"
+
+"If you don't brace up and tell me what's going on," Case declared,
+"I'll throw you in the river. Where are the boys?"
+
+Before Mose could reply Captain Joe came dashing through the bushes.
+He stopped by Case's side and lay down, trembling with excitement.
+
+"If the dog could talk he would tell me what's going on," Case said,
+reprovingly, to the negro. "Where have you two been?"
+
+Mose, evidently encouraged by the presence of the dog, told haltingly
+of the attack on the _Rambler_ that morning, of his being thrown
+overboard, with the dog, of his day of wandering, hungry and afraid,
+about the old place, and of Captain Joe following the tracks of the
+boys to the entrance to the house.
+
+He said that he had lain in hiding, afraid to enter, and had kept the
+dog quiet until it began to get dark, when he had followed Captain Joe
+to a window from which the sound of voices had issued. The dog had
+leaped in, after he had pulled away the rotten board, he said, and
+there he had seen Alex. and Jule, enveloped in a ghostly light, with a
+white ghost struggling with the dog!
+
+The story was told with many sidelong glances at the shadows which lay
+heavy on the landscape, for a moon was now struggling through drifting
+banks of clouds.
+
+As the boy concluded his story, often delayed by his fright, another
+commotion came from the grounds nearer the old house. Lights flashed
+from the windows and pistol shots were heard. Getting one sniff of the
+acrid smell of powder, Mose leaped to his feet and bounded away again.
+Captain Joe lifted his nose, wrinkled it in derision, and rose to meet
+two figures which were pounding down the broken walk toward the bayou.
+
+"Alex.! Jule!" called Case. "What's doing?"
+
+"Get a move on!" panted Alex. "Get to the boat! Where did that little
+coon go?"
+
+"He must be somewhere near the Rocky Mountains by this time," Case
+replied, falling into the fast pace set by the other boys.
+
+Very soon there were sounds of running feet behind them, and the lads
+redoubled their efforts to reach the boat before any one else could
+get to it. Now and then a bullet cut the air close to their ears, but
+they were not struck.
+
+When they came to the edge of the bayou, Mose had the boat out a rod
+from shore, and was doing his best to row it across with one oar. The
+boys did not wait for him to return to the bank, but plunged into the
+water and waded and swam out, Alex., the last one in, giving the craft
+a vigorous shove as he crawled over the stern.
+
+Without loss of a minute's time Alex. and Case took the oars and Jule
+seized the helm. They were soon proceeding down the bayou at a rapid
+rate of speed, but, fast as they were going, others were moving faster
+along the bank.
+
+"Come back or we'll fill you full of air holes!" shouted one of the
+pursuers.
+
+The boys might have been forced to return to the shore only for the
+fact that at that moment the moon's face was hidden by a mass of
+clouds. Taking advantage of this, and sitting as low in the boat as
+possible in order to avoid the bullets which were coming in their
+direction, the boys made for the mouth of the blind channel, and soon
+felt the push of the current of the Mississippi.
+
+Before long the sounds of pursuit died out. The old mansion, which
+stood on the point of land between the river and the bayou, was now in
+darkness. When the moon came out again it stood silent and solitary in
+its neglected enclosure. It seemed to the lads that everything that
+had taken place there must be a dream!
+
+"Now where?" Jule asked, as the boat passed a bend and the house was
+no longer in sight. "Do we know where we are going, any of us?"
+
+"Where is the _Rambler_?" demanded Alex. "We ought to have reached it
+long ago."
+
+Then, briefly, Case repeated the story told by Mose of the capture of
+the motor boat. There was silence for a moment, for the boys
+recognized the seriousness of the situation.
+
+There was little doubt in their minds that the _Rambler_ would be
+wrecked. No boat could drift down that surging river, cluttered with
+driftwood as it was, without meeting with disaster. And Clay was on
+board, bound, and helpless in case the worst happened!
+
+"So that is how Mose and Captain Joe happened to come to the rescue,"
+Alex. said. "The pirate threw them off the _Rambler_! Well, he did a
+good job when he did it, anyway! But how that coon did run when we
+made for the window he had opened!"
+
+Mose, nestled in the bottom of the boat, stroking Captain Joe's wet
+head, grinned and declared that the boys had looked like ghosts.
+
+"It is a wonder the boy and the dog were not discovered in the
+grounds!" Jule remarked. "I don't see how they came to keep out of
+sight!"
+
+"I can tell you!" Case put in. "Mose was so afraid that the pirates
+would come and get him that he lay in the bushes with his face in the
+dead leaves! Is that right, Mose?" he asked.
+
+Mose had to admit that he was "sho' scared white," and Captain Joe
+tried to explain, in perfectly good dog talk, that he wasn't
+frightened a bit, but only lay by Mose to help keep his courage up!
+
+"Well, boys," Alex. said in a moment, "we've got to study out some
+plan to get to Clay. We can't dodge the issue by talking of something
+else. What shall we do?"
+
+"I'm for going on down the river," Alex. continued. "The pirates can't
+run the _Rambler_ up stream, and so we must find her if we keep on
+going."
+
+"But she has nearly ten hours the start of us," urged Jule.
+
+"I don't think they will go far, as it is risky drifting a boat down
+now. They will probably go far enough to get out of the zone of
+pursuit and then tie up, if the boat isn't wrecked before that," he
+added, gravely.
+
+"That's good judgment!" Case declared.
+
+"We're lucky if we don't get wrecked ourselves," Jule declared,
+swinging the boat about to avoid a mass of wreckage which lay before
+her. "When we come to the bend just ahead we're likely to be pushed
+over to the other shore. See how the current sets that way? We'll have
+to go some to beat it!"
+
+The current was indeed swift and treacherous. It swept toward the east
+shore with almost resistless force, and the rowboat was like an
+eggshell in its grasp.
+
+"Look out for the log ahead!" cried Jule, as the boat swirled around.
+
+But there was more than one log ahead. It seemed that a whole drive of
+logs, or timbers, had been caught by the flood and whirled down
+stream. The boys backed water, and Jule did all he could to keep out
+of the mass, but the current was remorseless.
+
+The boat struck a great timber and the force of the shock and the
+cracking sound which followed told of an injury to the craft. Mose
+stood up in the boat, for water was now coming in!
+
+"This seems to be our good-luck night!" Case grumbled, in a sarcastic
+tone, as the boat lurched against a great log and came near tipping
+over.
+
+"There's a raft ahead, anyway!" shouted Jule. "We can ride down on
+that!"
+
+"Until it takes a notion to dump us into the drink!" complained Case.
+
+The boat filled fast, and Captain Joe mounted the prow and looked
+longingly toward the bobbing timber raft just ahead. From the raft he
+looked back to the boys.
+
+"I reckon the dog has more sense than we have!" Alex. exclaimed.
+"We'll have to take to the raft, all right, so here goes."
+
+"Wait for a bit of light!" urged Case. "The moon will be out in a
+second."
+
+In the darkness which followed the boys could feel the water rising in
+the boat. The current was pressing the craft down against the timber
+raft, and the creaking of the hull proclaimed a badly wrecked boat.
+
+"Say," Case called out, "one of you boys get out a light. We've got to
+make a jump right soon. This is some adventure! What?"
+
+Jule reached for his electric, but Alex. caught his arm.
+
+"There's a light on the Missouri bank," he said, "and it looks to me
+like the cabin windows of the _Rambler_ were sending it out. Lay low
+in the dark and drift with the raft!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+FACES AT THE WINDOW
+
+
+"Look here, Red," the outlaw who had been called Sam said, addressing
+the giant, as the _Rambler_ struck the half-submerged tree, "we've got
+up against something hard!"
+
+"We never should have put out into the river!" retorted Red. "A few
+more bumps like that, and to the fishes we go! Get a pole out, and see
+if you can push away from that consarned tree. Then we'll soon get to
+shore."
+
+Sam went into the cabin, where Clay sat, side by side with the bear
+cub, on a bunk.
+
+"Where's your river pole?" he demanded. "You must have something of
+the kind!"
+
+"There's one in hooks at the side of the cabin," replied the boy. "If
+you'll cut this cord I'll help you get out of the current."
+
+Sam leered savagely at the boy for a moment, picked up the revolver
+which lay on the floor not far away, put it into a pocket, and then
+severed the cord.
+
+"Mind you," he said, as Clay sprang for the pole, "if you try any
+tricks on us we'll chuck you to the fish!"
+
+Without paying much attention to the threat, Clay grasped the pole and
+ran to the prow, which was now entangled in a wilderness of branches
+springing from the bole of the tree the boat had struck. The boy's
+strength was insufficient, and Red came to his assistance. Both pried
+and pushed, but it seemed impossible to back the boat against the
+sweep of the current.
+
+As if to make matters worse, a long timber lodged against the stern
+and added its weight to that of the motor boat and the running water.
+Sam stood looking on with a cynical smile on his hard face.
+
+"You never can do it," he finally declared. "We'll have to let the
+boat drift down in company with the tree. Just our luck to strike such
+a snag!"
+
+"If that limb wasn't in the way," Red asserted, "we could get the boat
+out. It binds on the side of the cabin."
+
+Clay hastened into the cabin and soon returned to the prow with an
+axe. Both men eyed him sharply as he came forward with the keen-edged
+implement.
+
+"You know what I told you!" Sam shouted, stepping toward the boy.
+
+"Let him alone!" commanded Red. "I reckon the kid knows what he is
+about!"
+
+"Now," Clay explained, addressing the big fellow, who seemed more
+inclined to be friendly than his companion, "if you'll stand ready
+with the pole, I'll get over on the trunk and cut that limb away. Then
+we can edge over to the shore."
+
+"Oh, yes!" sneered Sam. "We let you off on the tree, and you go on
+down and call out the police at the first landing. Not for your
+uncle!"
+
+"Go on," shouted Red, to Clay. "I'll steady you with the pole, and
+when the limb is off you give it a poke and come on board. Will you do
+that?"
+
+"Sure!" answered the boy. "I have no intention of going off and
+leaving the _Rambler_! Hand me the axe when I get down on the trunk,
+will you?"
+
+Without waiting for any further conversation, which was difficult
+because of the roaring of the river, Clay crept over the gunwale and
+landed on the tree, which sank lower under his weight. Then he reached
+for the axe, which Red promptly passed to him.
+
+"I wouldn't get down on that tree for a thousand dollars!" cried Sam.
+"If he don't time himself to a second, he'll get knocked into a cocked
+hat by the boat when she swings loose! I'm not stuck on taking any
+such chances."
+
+"That is some kid!" Red exclaimed, admiringly, as Clay chopped away at
+the limb. "I wish we had him with us!"
+
+"You want to look out for him!" Sam cautioned. "He may prove to be too
+much of a kid for both of us, but I've got him covered, so if he tries
+to----"
+
+The limb dropped away after a few strokes with the axe, and the boat
+righted and swung against the trunk. The swaying of the trunk upon
+which Clay stood threw him into the water, but he clung to the tree
+and tried to work back to the boat. Sam lifted the pole to strike his
+unprotected head.
+
+"May as well get rid of him now," he declared, with an ugly oath.
+
+Red struck the would-be murderer a savage blow in the face and reached
+down to assist the boy to the deck. For a moment it seemed that both
+of them must be drawn under the boat, but the big fellow's strength
+won, and Clay was hauled, dripping and exhausted, up on deck. Sam eyed
+him malevolently and snarled.
+
+"It will come some time!"
+
+Red pushed the boy toward the cabin, the look on his face friendlier
+than ever.
+
+"Go and get into dry clothes," he said. "Never mind what Sam says! He
+means all right, only he don't know how to express himself!"
+
+The _Rambler_ now swung off toward the shore, and Red and Sam were
+kept busy working wreckage out of her course. They snarled at each
+other as they worked, and Clay was in constant fear that Sam would
+play some treacherous trick on the big fellow in return for the blow
+he had received. The marks of the short encounter were still on his
+face.
+
+Much to his relief, the _Rambler_ was edged into calmer water next to
+the Missouri shore. He had no idea at that time, even, that he would
+lose the boat. He did not know what had become of his chums, but he
+believed that in some way they would be able to come to his rescue.
+They had never failed him.
+
+The _Rambler_ drifted down for some distance, leaking a little but not
+seriously, and was finally worked into a little bay where there was no
+current.
+
+That was a long day for the boy. Several boats passed up and down on
+the river, and relief parties searching for flood victims were
+frequently seen, but Red always announced that they were in no trouble
+whatever when questioned.
+
+Clay was not bound again, but was kept in the cabin, with the door
+closed. He could hear calls from passing boats, but did not dare make
+the situation known.
+
+During the day the outlaws devoured what cooked food there was in the
+cabin and gave some to the boy. Once Sam lay down for a short nap. Red
+was not communicative, and refused to answer any questions as to his
+intentions regarding the _Rambler_.
+
+A fine mist came down as the night shut in, but presently the moon
+came out, and the outlaws began discussing the advisability of
+proceeding on down the river.
+
+"We can get to our landing," Sam insisted. "Once there, we can get
+into the bayou back of the island, where no one will think of looking
+for us. We must get the boat out of sight," he went on, "before
+reports of her capture spread along the river. Besides, the boys will
+be waiting for us at the shanty."
+
+"All right," Red finally agreed. "I'm willing to take my chance on
+being smashed flat by a tree or floating barn."
+
+Clay listened to the talk with interest. Somehow he began to recognize
+the voice of the big fellow! Where had he heard it before? Then, like
+a flash, the memory came to him! The man had talked with him from the
+river at Cairo! There is where he had heard the voice!
+
+At that time the big fellow had been pleading for the safety of a waif
+who had come on board the _Rambler_! Both the man and the waif had
+disappeared when the officers had come on board. Clay wondered where
+the boy was, and why this outlaw had taken an interest in him. The man
+appeared to be kind, though his appearance and his modes of life were
+against him. It was all a deep mystery to the boy.
+
+However, the giant's defense of himself, when Sam would have
+mistreated and, perhaps, murdered him, led Clay to believe that he was
+not wholly depraved. There might be some powerful motive for his
+adopting the life of a river outlaw.
+
+The boy resolved, at the first opportunity, to question Red regarding
+the fate of the lad who had so suddenly disappeared from the boat that
+night. He now saw that the willingness of his companions and himself
+to aid the waif had led to good results, for it was this willingness
+which had undoubtedly caused the giant to stand between him and injury
+or even death. His little loaf of bread cast on the waters had
+returned to good purpose!
+
+Sam seized the pole, as soon as Red agreed to his proposition to make
+their way down the river without delay, and began working the
+_Rambler_ out into the current.
+
+"Better wait until that mess of wreckage passes!" Red advised, as a
+crush of floating timbers made its appearance under the moonlight. "If
+we get into that bunch we'll never get out again. It will go by in a
+few moments."
+
+Sam stood looking at the mass with a frown on his sullen face. He was
+anxious to be away for more reasons than one. The boat had undoubtedly
+been reported seized long before this, and every craft passing up or
+down would soon be looking for her. His idea was that the lads who had
+left the boat would soon return and report the disappearance.
+
+He did not know, of course, that Case was at New Madrid, or on the way
+there, when they had attacked Clay, nor did he suspect that Alex. and
+Jule had fallen into the hands of a band of bandits in every way as
+desperate and unscrupulous as that to which he belonged.
+
+But, aside from the question of safety, there was another matter he
+wished brought to a conclusion. He had been assaulted by Red, and was
+raging for revenge. Once in the company of his lawless fellows, his
+revenge might be gained!
+
+"There is some one on that wreckage," the watchful Sam finally
+declared. "I saw a movement there. Good thing we are not near enough
+to be asked for help."
+
+Red looked at the floating raft and shook his head.
+
+"There is a boat lodged against the mess," he said, "but there's no
+one on board her, and there's no one on the raft, either."
+
+The light of the moon was now shut out by a drive of clouds, and the
+two men waited for a clear sky again. When the raft was revealed they
+saw a white bulldog running up and down across the timbers!
+
+"That's the brute I pitched overboard up in the bayou!" cried Sam. "I
+wish I had knocked him on the head. Some of those boys are not far
+off."
+
+Red laughed at the idea of the boys being there, But Clay, listening
+with every faculty awake, had a different notion of the capabilities
+of his chums.
+
+"If Captain Joe is there," the boy mused, his heart bounding with
+hope, "the boys are not far off! Anyway, I'll give them a chance to
+see the old boat once more!" he continued, reaching out and turning on
+the cabin lights.
+
+Sam uttered a fierce oath as the lights flashed out on the rushing
+water, and made for the cabin, but Red caught him by the arm and faced
+him around.
+
+"Look here!" he snarled, "if you go to making trouble for that boy
+I'll send your worthless hulk bobbing down to the Gulf! The lights
+won't hurt! We don't have to answer any calls for help that may come.
+Now, edge her out into the current and leave the boy to me. There's no
+sense in beating up the kid!"
+
+With a word of warning to Clay, not unkindly spoken, Red switched off
+the cabin lights, and then went to assist Sam in getting the _Rambler_
+out into the stream. Clay heard them saying that the raft was, after
+all, empty of life except for the dog.
+
+"The boat lodged against it seems to be broken," Red said, and Clay's
+heart went into his throat again. He feared that the boys had been
+caught in wreckage and drowned. The presence of the dog showed that
+they had been with the broken boat, he thought.
+
+Then, while the two men worked frantically in front, Clay heard the
+window leading to the cabin from the stern deck cautiously pushed
+aside, and then the faces of Alex. and Case appeared at the opening!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+RED DECLINES TO TALK
+
+
+In a moment the ray of moonlight slanting through the west window of
+the cabin was cut off by a floating cloud, and the faces of the two
+boys passed out of view. Their voices, however, came to Clay,
+enquiringly.
+
+"Are you all right?" Alex. asked.
+
+"Have you got any dry guns in there?" was Case's question.
+
+Clay answered both questions in a whispered affirmative and moved
+softly toward the window. It was necessary that some definite plan of
+action should be agreed upon, for the lads' presence there might be
+discovered at any time.
+
+"Is Jule there?" whispered Clay.
+
+"We're all in this neighborhood!" snickered Alex., "including Mose,
+Teddy and Captain Joe! We came down the river in a busted boat and on
+a poor raft! We should have passed the _Rambler_ only for the flash of
+lights in the cabin. What next?"
+
+"First," Clay answered, "I'll get the reserve weapons. One of the
+outlaws has my gun, but the others are in the lower drawer of the
+cupboard. I've been trying to get at them for a long time, but this is
+the first time, since I was set free of bonds, that the men have been
+too busy to notice me."
+
+Clay crawled to the cupboard and secured three revolvers, held as a
+reserve stock.
+
+"Now," he directed, "you boys get through the window while the
+ruffians are busy and the moon is out of business."
+
+As the boys wiggled their way through the small opening, Teddy began
+uttering growls of joy and welcome. He pranced about the cabin, too,
+in spite of all Clay could do to restrain him, tipping over chairs and
+rattling the dishes in a great pan on the floor, where the pirates had
+left them after their luncheon.
+
+And then, as if to add to the perplexities of the situation, the
+clouds which veiled the moon drifted away, and a slant of light shone
+full on the little stern deck, and on the figures grouped there. Case
+and Jule pulled themselves through into the cabin, but Alex. was left
+crouching on the outside. Clay passed him a revolver, and started to
+close the window.
+
+At that moment, attracted by the unusual commotion on the inside, Sam
+lurched to the door and looked through the glass panel. He saw Clay at
+the window, and caught sight of a figure outside and called out to
+Red, who was still busy at the prow, trying to keep the boat out of a
+mass of wreckage which was coming down faster than the boat was going
+for the reason that it was farther out in the current.
+
+Almost before Red could turn around, before his brain could grasp the
+significance of Sam's warning shout, Clay swung the door open and
+turned the switch which operated the prow light. In an instant the
+deck of the _Rambler_ was as light as it had ever been at noon. The
+cabin was still in darkness, save for the light which came through the
+glass panel of the door.
+
+The hands of both outlaws swung to their hips as the light flashed
+out, but did not bring forth the weapons carried there. Instead, they
+came up empty and were pushed out straight and held there. It was Clay
+who had given the order to keep hands out.
+
+Clay advanced along the unsteady deck to Sam and held his gun within
+an inch of his crooked nose, at the same time calling to Case to come
+and relieve the outlaw of his weapons.
+
+Sam's looks would have committed murder, if savage eyes and revengeful
+frowns could have done so, when the weapons were taken from him.
+Glancing hastily at Red, Clay thought he saw an amused smile lurking
+in the giant's eyes.
+
+"Now, Sam," Clay said, "we've got to repair the motors and get the
+_Rambler_ out of this ruck, where the leak can be repaired, so we've
+got no time to waste guarding a skunk like you. You would have
+murdered me if Red hadn't interfered, but I'm going to give you a
+chance for your life! Can you swim?"
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" grunted Mose, appearing on the deck, wet and
+shivering from the river, "dat's de 'dentical question he done ask
+me!"
+
+Captain Joe, who had come on board from the raft with the negro,
+sniffed at the heels of the outlaw and seemed to ask permission of
+Clay to take a bite out of him. The cub pranced around the little waif
+as if he had found a friend from whom he had long been parted. Sam did
+not answer the question. He glared at the weapons, at the exposed
+fangs of the bulldog, and turned a scowling face to Red.
+
+"These rascals seem to be friends of yours," he said. "I don't hear
+anything about your being given a chance to swim! Is this a frame-up?"
+
+Red's already flushed face darkened at the insulting question, and he
+would have struck Sam only that Case, whose gun was at his breast,
+motioned him to desist.
+
+"There'll come a time!" growled Sam. "Me an' you will have a
+settlement right soon after we get shut of these imitation tramps.
+Understand that?"
+
+"Yes, kiddo," Red cut in, turning to Clay, "Sam can swim. He's great
+on giving exhibition stunts in the water. He can do anything with
+water except drink it."
+
+"Glad to know it!" Clay replied, "for I want to see how far he can
+swim! Take a run-and-jump, you toy pirate, and get overboard."
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake, dat's what he said to dis----"
+
+Sam did not wait to hear the completion of the sentence, for Captain
+Joe, sensing, doubtless, that the outlaw was in bad with the party,
+advanced upon him. The pirate sprang for a floating timber, missed it,
+and went under. He came up in a second and struck out for the shore
+through a comparatively clear channel. The boys watched him until he
+crawled out on a mud bank and then turned to Red.
+
+"Well?" asked that individual, a smile on his face. "What next?"
+
+"First," Clay said, "I want to thank you for saving me from that
+ruffian, and then I want you to sit down and wait until we get up the
+greatest dinner that ever was served on the Mississippi. I'm half
+starved, and I know that the boys are. Of course, if you want to land
+right now, we'll put you ashore."
+
+"I reckon," Red replied, with a slight tremble in his gruff voice,
+"that I can't do better than to stick here for a time!"
+
+"Well," Clay went on, "the boys are wet and cold, as well as hungry,
+and so I'll have to do the cooking. Will you come in the cabin and sit
+by me while I do it?"
+
+"Will I? I'm lucky not to be out there on the shore with Sam!"
+
+The two passed into the cabin, after the boys had put on dry clothes
+and warmed themselves at the coal stove, and Clay set about cooking a
+mammoth steak which had been bought at Cairo and kept in the tiny
+refrigerator. Then he boiled potatoes, and made light biscuit, and the
+coffee he produced was a hearty meal in itself! There were tinned
+beans, and sardines, and salmon, and many other things when the meal
+began, but when it was over the table was bare of everything in the
+provision line!
+
+In the joy and comfort of being full-fed, Mose, Captain Joe, and Teddy
+rolled up in a common rug on the floor, in a corner where they would
+not be in the way, and went to sleep. Clay and Red went out on deck
+while the others washed the dishes.
+
+"Are you thinking of sticking about this section all night?" asked the
+latter.
+
+"Only for a short time," Clay answered. "We'll fix the motors,
+directly, and go on down the river. Why do you ask the question? Don't
+you want to stay here?"
+
+"I was thinking," Red observed, quite coolly, "that, with the lights
+going, and the shore not far away, Sam might be thinking of taking a
+shot or two at the boys!"
+
+"But he hasn't any gun!" Clay exclaimed.
+
+"Yes, he has," Red returned. "He has a gun that wasn't found on him.
+He keeps it in a watertight sack under his left arm. He's used to
+taking to the water!"
+
+"And you think he will hang about the bank, walking down from where he
+was put off, and try to pick us off?" asked Clay. "How far are we now
+from the mud bank he mounted?"
+
+"Not more than a couple of miles," was the reply. "We are in water
+that shows only a trace of current now, because there is a great
+headland just below, and the flood has packed the curve full. He
+probably has been able to keep up with the boat."
+
+"That isn't going very fast!" laughed Clay, "for it has been at least
+two hours since he left the boat. The moon, which is in the first
+quarter, sets about eleven, and it is hiding itself in the trees
+already!"
+
+"I wouldn't advise sticking hereabouts," insisted Red. "I can say no
+more!"
+
+"All right!" Clay replied. "We'll fix the motors and start on down.
+Here, Case," he called out, "did you bring the repairs?"
+
+"Surest thing you know!" was the answer, and in a short time Clay was
+at work on the motive power, which was not much out of repair and was
+soon fixed.
+
+"You know, of course," Clay said to Red, as the _Rambler_, under
+perfect control, started down stream at a pace which kept the
+driftwood from lunging against her stern, "that I recognize you as the
+man who talked with me out of the river at Cairo?"
+
+"I never suspected it!" was the slow reply. "How do you know I'm the
+man?"
+
+"Your voice!" was the reply. "It puzzled me at first, though."
+
+"I'll have to trade voices with some river rascal!" grinned Red.
+
+"You spoke, that night, about a boy who had come on board?" Clay said,
+tentatively.
+
+"That was my business there," Red replied, with a slight frown.
+
+"Where did the boy go that night? We never saw him after the officers
+came on board. He must have swum to the Missouri shore."
+
+"He did," was the hesitating reply. "He made it, too!"
+
+"Why didn't he remain with us?" asked Clay.
+
+"He got scared! If I had kept away he might have done so."
+
+"Is he your son?" was the next question Clay asked.
+
+Red looked the boy in the face steadily for a moment and then asked:
+
+"You don't want to harm the lad, do you?"
+
+"I want to help him," was the reply. "He looked so forlorn, and wet,
+and cold, and hungry, that I've thought of him a lot since. Where is
+he now?"
+
+"Well," Red said, in a perplexed tone, "that is what I can't tell
+you."
+
+"Because you don't know where he is?" demanded Clay.
+
+"No; not that. I know where he is, but I can't tell you."
+
+"Is the child implicated in any crime?" Clay asked, looking sharply
+into the man's flushed face. "Is there any reason why he can't go with
+us?"
+
+"Why do you suggest crime in connection with the kid?" demanded Red, a
+frown on his face. "He may be associated with criminals, innocently,
+and yet be worthy of all your confidence and esteem!"
+
+They talked a long time about the boy, about the events of the day,
+and about the future plans of the _Rambler_ boys. The boat made good
+progress during the night while all save Clay and his strange
+companion slept. With the first flush of dawn Red asked to be put
+ashore, refusing to give any reason for wanting to leave the boat.
+
+"You've used me mighty white," he said at parting, "and there'll come
+another day! Don't you ever forget that, lads! There'll come another
+day! And if you come across that waif again, just feed him, and warm
+him, and clothe him, and pass him on to wherever he wants to go. Thank
+you all!" and he was gone!
+
+"What do you think of that for a mystery?" Clay asked as the man
+disappeared in a grove near the landing. "We shall hear from Red
+again."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+MORE RIVER OUTLAWS
+
+
+"And I have a notion that we'll run across that waif again," Case
+said. "I imagine that he is somewhere down the river, and that Red
+will not be far away when we come to him. Somehow, we bunt into
+mysteries wherever we go!"
+
+"I've got a hunch," Alex. exclaimed, "that we are headed for news of
+that warehouse robbery at Rock Island! It seems to me too, that the
+boy had something to do, with it, or is mixed up in it in some way."
+
+"He looked pretty lean and shabby for a chap who had been interested
+in a diamond robbery!" Jule suggested. "Perhaps he's not guilty--just
+suspected!"
+
+The day was fine and the flood was running out. The river showed less
+wreckage than had been seen the day before, for the lowering water
+caused much of it to land on headlands and sandbars. During the
+forenoon the _Rambler_, which was still leaking a trifle, passed
+several river shanties and houseboats, tied up below half-submerged
+islands, where they were protected from wreckage.
+
+These houseboats are common all along the Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee
+and Mississippi rivers. Fishermen and indolent river characters live
+in them the year round. Some of the boats are of good size and well
+built and furnished, while others are merely shanties built on rafts
+of logs and other spoils taken from the waters.
+
+Many of the boats carry whole families, and go sailing toward the Gulf
+with streamers of shirts and petticoats blowing from clotheslines.
+Others carry two or three men and numberless dogs. Those who reside on
+the boats live principally on fish, and on corn meal and pork
+purchased with the proceeds of fish sales.
+
+Shortly after dinner the boys were asked to come on board a shanty
+boat navigated by two men and numerous dogs, so the _Rambler_ was run
+alongside and Clay and Alex. went aboard, where they were warmly
+welcomed by two Chicago young men who were making the river trip in
+the way of a winter vacation. Their quarters were crude but
+comfortable. They had had a rough voyage because of the flood, but
+declared that they were going down to the Gulf if the raft held out.
+
+Almost the first question Clay asked was about the Rock Island
+robbery.
+
+"So you have been overhauled by the officers, too, have you?" laughed
+one of the young men, called Ben by his chum. "We had a bit of that,
+also, but the officers didn't remain with us very long. It doesn't
+take a week to search our craft!"
+
+"Are you sure they were officers?" asked Clay.
+
+"Oh, yes, they were officers, all right. They asked for a boy of about
+twelve, who, they declared, had been seen down the river, and who is
+believed to have been associated with the Rock Island robbers. They
+also asked for a man of six feet and over, with red hair."
+
+Clay looked at Alex. significantly and asked for any news they might
+have of the robbery--any details they might have learned.
+
+"Oh, we got the story from a St. Louis newspaper we begged of a
+steamer captain," was the reply. "It seems that the silks, furs, and
+diamonds stolen were stored in the warehouse one day and taken out by
+thieves that same night. A boy answering to the description of the one
+the officers asked for was seen about the premises during the
+afternoon, and at one time he was observed in the company of a giant
+of a man with red hair.
+
+"It is the theory of the police that the thieves captured the boy and
+forced him to enter through a broken window and unfastened the door,
+a~la Oliver Twist. They believe that if he can be caught he will be
+able to identify the robbers if they are caught. The red-headed man
+was seen in the city, wandering about the streets, aimlessly, on the
+night of the crime. It is not believed that he was interested in the
+robbery personally. However, they want him because he seemed to take a
+great interest in the boy."
+
+"Have the officers found any of the stolen property?" asked Alex.
+
+"Not that we know of," was the reply. "The robbers got off handily,
+and it is believed they put the goods on board some river boat and
+sent them down toward New Orleans. Diamonds, silks and furs can be
+hidden in a small space."
+
+The boys visited with the strangers for an hour or more and then went
+on down the river, sailing a very little faster than the shanty boat,
+which depended entirely on the current, and which was obliged to tie
+up at intervals to avoid wreckage.
+
+"I've got a notion," Alex. said, as the boys left the shanty boat in
+the distance, "that the newspaper story is the right one. That boy
+never took part in that robbery of his own free will, though. I am
+sure of it! And the man? That was Red he described, eh?"
+
+"It undoubtedly was," Clay replied, thoughtfully.
+
+"That's your bosom friend!" Alex. grinned. "You let him escape!"
+
+"What else could I do, under the circumstances?" demanded Clay. "The
+fellow saved my life! Sam would have murdered me only for him!"
+
+"Well, if he's on the level, what's he doing with a man like Sam?"
+questioned Alex., still grinning.
+
+"We shall have to leave that question to the future," was the short
+reply.
+
+"You believe that Red had a hand in the robbery at Rock Island?"
+persisted the boy.
+
+"I don't think anything about it! I'm waiting for additional
+information!"
+
+"Well, we've got a long way to go yet," Case cut in, "and we may meet
+with the red-headed man again. We may meet him in some jail yet, if
+our luck doesn't change!"
+
+"Speaking about jails," Alex. questioned, "what do you make of the old
+jail of a house Jule and I were locked up in? What do you think they
+wanted to hold us for?"
+
+"Probably to keep you from spying on what was going on there," Clay
+suggested.
+
+"But what was going on there?" asked Alex. "That is what _we_ didn't
+find out!"
+
+"Whatever it was," Jule observed, "the people interested in keeping it
+secret took long chances when they left us in the dark room with only
+an old man to guard us. And imagine them never knowing that Mose and
+the dog were in the grounds!"
+
+At mention of Mose Alex. burst into a roar of laughter.
+
+"I never saw a human face that showed real fear until I saw Mose
+looking in at the broken window!" he said, directly. "I have seen men
+and women show fright, but never anything like that! He thought he had
+come on a collection of ghosts! I presume he thought we, Jule and I,
+were dead and buried in the cellar, and that our spirits had come
+forth to haunt the murderers! And he streaked it away like a flash of
+light!"
+
+"There's probably nothing worse than the manufacture of moonshine
+whisky going on in the old house," Case contributed. "Or the loot from
+the warehouse may have been stored there," he added. "The boys heard
+heavy articles being moved, though they may have been scared stiff and
+mistook the footsteps of a mouse for the heavy noises!"
+
+"I hope you'll get in just such a predicament some day!" growled Jule.
+"It wasn't any fun, sitting there in the dark! And I expected that
+crazy old man to shoot us any moment! I believe he was crazy! He acted
+as if he was!"
+
+"That's right!" exclaimed Case. "Keep on talking, and I won't have to
+wash a dish all the way to the Gulf. I love to hear you get funny."
+
+"That will do for you!" cried Jule, gleefully. "I see you washing the
+supper dishes right now!"
+
+"I'd like to go back and investigate that old house," Alex. observed.
+"It would be great fun! I believe it stood there when the
+cave-dwellers lived along the Chickasaw bluffs, and that was before De
+Soto discovered the river and was buried in its depths."
+
+"I thought La Salle discovered the Mississippi," Case said, with a
+wink at Clay.
+
+"He made a stab at navigating it from the Illinois river down," Alex.
+answered, seeing that Case was prodding him in the desire of receiving
+information. "But he gave the wrong course to the stream. The real
+Mississippi turns at St. Louis and runs off toward the Rocky
+Mountains."
+
+"Yes it does!" exclaimed Jule. "You're in need of mental rest, young
+man."
+
+"Certainly it does," Alex. insisted. "The longest stretch of water
+takes the river name, doesn't it? Well, the Missouri is about three
+thousand miles long from the fountain-heads of the Gallatin, Madison
+and Red Rock lakes to the junction with the Mississippi, while from
+the junction to headwaters the Mississippi is only about twelve
+hundred miles long!"
+
+"It does seem as if the longest river should carry the name," said
+Case. "In that event, this would be the Missouri river!"
+
+"Sure it would," insisted Alex. "The river from the Red Rock lakes to
+the Gulf is the longest river in the world--eight hundred miles longer
+than the Amazon, though not so wide! Some day the name of the Missouri
+will become the Mississippi, or the Mississippi will be called the
+Missouri!"
+
+The boys argued over the proposition for a long time, until it was
+time to get supper, and then Clay and Alex. began watching for ducks,
+with which the river swarms at times. While they secured three
+fair-sized birds, Alex. caught fish, and insisted on their being
+cooked with the ducks.
+
+"I'll never get enough to eat if I leave the menu to you boys," he
+declared, "and Mose feels about it just as I do!" he added, pulling
+the little negro's ear.
+
+"Ah sure do feel empty!" answered Mose, rolling up his eyes.
+
+The Mississippi is a tangle of channels and islands above Memphis, and
+the boys decided to tie up for the night on the down-stream side of
+one of the little "tow-heads" which are so frequently seen close to
+larger islands. These are formed by deposits of sand and vegetable
+matter, but they increase in size rapidly as soon as cotton-wood brush
+takes possession of the new ground, assisting materially in resisting
+the encroachments of the current.
+
+The islands of the Mississippi are numerous and uncertain as to
+location. They have all been formed by the cutting of new channels
+across headlands. The river itself winds like a very crooked snake
+through the soft bottom lands of the south, and the water is forever
+finding new and shorter ways to reach the Gulf.
+
+From the junction of the Ohio, there are one hundred and twenty-five
+numbered islands from Cairo to Bayou la Fourche, in Louisiana, and
+besides these there are nearly as many more which bear the names of
+the owners. Many of these islands are grown up with impenetrable
+thickets or show only deserted fields.
+
+In proceeding down the great river the boys had kept on only
+sufficient power to gain steerway, as they were in no haste to reach
+the Gulf of Mexico, which was their final destination on that trip.
+They decided that day to travel nights no more.
+
+After supper had been eaten the boys switched on all the lights and
+sat out on deck. There was a brilliant moon, but they preferred to let
+everybody in that vicinity know that they were there--hence the
+electric lights.
+
+"If any one sneaks up on us now," Alex. laughed, "he'll have to get to
+us by the under-water route! And, even then, one of us would be apt to
+see him. Captain Joe is losing his record as a watch dog, but I guess
+Teddy can take his place."
+
+Captain Joe, as if he understood every word that had been said, and
+resented the insinuation, walked up to the prow and sat in a
+meditative mood, looking over the small "tow-head" which sheltered the
+boat from the current. He sat there motionless so long that Alex.
+finally called attention to him.
+
+"Ah knows what he's done seein'!" exclaimed Mose. "Dar's a big fat
+coon watchin' us from dat mess ob bushes. Ah done seen him long time
+ago!"
+
+An inspection of the spot pointed out showed half a dozen evil-looking
+negroes watching the boat.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+FIRE-FACES ON THE ISLAND
+
+
+"What are they squatting there watching the boat for?" queried Jule,
+as the prow light fell full on the group of negroes on the island.
+"They don't look good to me!"
+
+"If we keep away from them," Case suggested, "and don't try to stare
+them out of countenance, they'll probably keep away from us. They do
+look fierce, though!"
+
+While the boys discussed the matter the negroes moved away from the
+shore of the island, where they were under the boat lights, and
+secreted themselves behind a patch of willows which fringed the
+"tow-head," for the place where they were was little else.
+
+"I don't believe they have any idea of letting us alone, if they can
+manage to get on board the _Rambler_," Clay declared. "I have often
+read that lawless negroes and whites are alike alert for plunder
+during flood seasons, and it is floating goods those fellows are
+after, unless I am much mistaken. We'll have to keep a sharp watch
+to-night."
+
+"Wouldn't it be wiser to drive them away?" asked Alex., with one of
+his grins.
+
+"We have no right to drive them away," Case suggested. "We may get
+into trouble if we try it. I'll watch half the night and not mind it
+at all."
+
+Alex. nudged Jule in the side and whispered in his ear for a moment.
+
+"Jule and I will watch the first half," he then said. "Perhaps they
+will go off home by midnight, and Case won't have to watch at all."
+
+"Alex.," Clay exclaimed, "you've got some mischief in your mind.
+Heretofore you've come out of your scrapes with whole bones, but
+sometime you'll get into serious trouble if you don't stop running out
+nights. I strongly advise you to let those levee negroes alone! You go
+to bed early, and I'll watch the boat!"
+
+"Who's got mischief in the mind?" grinned Alex. "I guess I can stay up
+until midnight without gettin' into trouble! You see if I don't make
+the dandy watchman to-night! When it comes to keeping guard, I'm the
+candy boy!"
+
+"You usually manage to get into trouble when you are left alone!"
+laughed Clay.
+
+"If I can't be good to-night," grinned Alex., "I'll be careful."
+
+Nothing more was seen of the negroes at that time, although the boys
+were satisfied that they were still on the island, as no boat had been
+seen to leave it.
+
+After a time Clay, Case and Mose went to bed, leaving Alex., Jule,
+Captain Joe, and Teddy on deck. The dog seemed particularly wide
+awake, moving about as if he scented danger, while the cub sat looking
+toward the island with twitching nostrils.
+
+"Seems as if the dog and the cub know there's something coming off
+here to-night," Jule remarked, as Captain Joe put his paw on the
+gunwale and sniffed the air. "Do you really think they have a way of
+discovering approaching peril which human beings have not? Captain Joe
+certainly looks as if he saw something unpleasant coming."
+
+"I often think dogs have an instinct which warns them of danger,"
+Alex. replied.
+
+"Well," Jule went on, "we'll soon see what comes of the signals of
+danger he is now handing out to us! Whatever he sees or senses is on
+that island."
+
+The boys watched for a long time, but there came no sounds of life
+from the island.
+
+"You're like the dog," Jule said to Alex., presently. "You are getting
+ready for a break of some sort! Suppose you loosen up and tell me what
+it is?"
+
+"You remember that night on the Amazon, when we scared the life out of
+a couple of renegade Englishmen and a native Indian?" asked Alex.
+
+"Sure I do!" was the reply. "That was the funniest ever!"
+
+"Well," Alex. explained, "I'm goin' to try something like that on
+these negroes."
+
+"Better let 'em alone!" advised Jule. "They are wise to tricks!"
+
+"Shucks!" Alex. laughed. "I'll have them walking on their heads, and
+walking the water at that. I wish I had a boat, so I wouldn't have to
+swim to the island!"
+
+"We've lost a rowboat every trip!" Jule exclaimed. "I wonder why we
+didn't pick the one we had off the raft and fix it up. It wasn't badly
+smashed."
+
+"We may find it yet," Alex. said, hopefully. "We have come down just a
+little faster than the current, and so it is probably behind us. When
+it comes down we'll get it and make it as good as new."
+
+"Yes, when we get it!" laughed Jule. "There's a thousand people along
+the island beaches and mainland levees watching for boats! Just like
+these negroes are watching for anything at all that seems worth
+picking out of the water!"
+
+"It won't do any harm to keep a lookout for it," Alex. decided. "Now,"
+he added, turning out the lights and throwing off his coat, "do you
+want to go to the shore with me? If you will go I'll show you a race
+that will beat anything you ever saw."
+
+"And leave the boat alone?" demanded Jule. "I should say not. I'll
+remain here and see that your retreat is properly covered. You'll want
+some one here to hold a gun on the negroes you seem determined to stir
+up."
+
+"Now don't get a grouch on," pleaded Alex. "I'm doing this purely in
+the interest of science! I want to see how far the emancipation
+proclamation has relieved the negroes of the south from the old-time
+superstitions of the race! Not to put too fine a point upon it, kid, I
+want to see what a good healthy ghost will do to a lot of river
+thieves! Do you get me?"
+
+"Going to play ghost, are you," laughed Jule. "Then I'll be a ghost,
+too!"
+
+Alex. listened at the cabin door for a moment, but heard no sounds
+indicating the lack of sleep on the inside. Then he crept in, fumbled
+around in the darkness until he found two old bathing suits and a
+square package which smelled of sulphur.
+
+"Now," he explained to Jule, as he came out, "we'll put on these
+bathing suits, so as to have dry clothes ready when we return from the
+island! You take a part of the matches, for we may become separated in
+the thicket. We won't do the Mephisto act until we get to the island,
+then rub the sulphur on thick--on your hands and face."
+
+"I guess I know how!" Jule remonstrated.
+
+The boys placed their clothing in two piles on the deck and donned the
+bathing suits--much to the wonder of Captain Joe, who wrinkled his
+nose and looked suspiciously at the boys. His remarks on the subject
+of bathing in a swift river in the night time were not in favor of the
+experiment. However, he crouched down by Alex.'s feet and expressed
+himself as willing to share in the doubtful expedition.
+
+"When we get into the willows," Alex. explained, "I'll let out a yell
+which will put Mose's efforts in that direction away to the bad! Then
+you run at them on the right and I'll close in on the left, and we'll
+see a race that will put the Greek events out on a blind siding with
+fires banked. When you are ready, drop in and swim for the bunch of
+willows straight ahead. Swim slow and don't make any noise."
+
+The boys left the dark deck of the _Rambler_ and entered the water.
+There was little current where the boat lay, and they had no
+difficulty in making the willows pointed out by the promoter of the
+midnight excursion. The lights of Memphis made a faint haze in the sky
+to the south. The wash of the river drowned all individual noises. In
+the distance the caving of a bank sent down a heavy sound.
+
+Believing that they had left the boat without awakening any of the
+sleepers and landed on the island without attracting the attention of
+the negroes, the boys crouched down in a thicket and listened.
+
+The moon, which would set about midnight, was low down in the west,
+and gave a fitful light at rare intervals. There was a heavy mass of
+thunderheads in the sky, and few stars showed through. There were no
+indications of a light or fire on the island.
+
+The boys, however, were much mistaken in their understanding of the
+situation. When they dropped off the deck of the _Rambler_, Clay poked
+his head out of the cabin and watched them as far as the darkness
+would permit. Then he returned to the cabin, put on a bathing suit and
+took a square box from the cupboard.
+
+The box contained the reserve weapons and flashlights of the party and
+was waterproof. With this in his hand, and leaving Captain Joe on
+guard, with strict orders not to leave the deck, he entered the water
+and swam toward the shore, turning away from the bunch of willows
+where the two boys had landed.
+
+Of course he did not know that Alex. and Jule had left the water
+there, but it seemed to him that they would naturally select the
+nearest point as their landing place. Once on shore he sat down to
+await developments.
+
+He was certain that Alex. and Jule had entered upon a dangerous
+expedition. The river negroes of the south are by no means as
+superstitious as is generally believed, and Clay knew it. He doubted
+if they would run far at sight of a face blazing with sulphur. It was
+his opinion that the boys would be the ones to start the race!
+
+The negroes were sure to be armed, and they might be drunk, in which
+case they would not be likely to permit the outer spirits to bluff the
+inner spirits! Besides, they might have valuable plunder on the
+island, and some would be brave enough to remain and fight for it.
+
+Of course, if Clay had gravely asked the boys to give over their
+proposed joy visit to the island, they would undoubtedly have done so,
+but he did not care to do that. His thought was that he ought not to
+attempt to control the actions of he boys, as they all stood equal on
+the trip, no one having authority over the others.
+
+Besides, if the truth must be told, Clay, himself, was not averse to a
+little excitement! In addition, he was anxious to know what was doing
+on the island, and why the negroes were assembled there.
+
+Another feature of the situation was that a watcher on the beach saw
+all three forms in the water as they left the boat! When the lads
+landed, Alex. and Jule at the clump of willows and Clay farther to the
+west, this watcher lost no time in communicating with his fellows in
+their rough-and-ready camp near the center of the little "tow-head."
+
+The noise made by the negroes in getting ready to meet whatever attack
+might be made upon them gave the location of their camp to Clay, and
+he pressed as close to it as it was possible for him to do without
+advancing into the open, where he might have been seen during any
+moment of moonlight.
+
+It was a chill night, and there was a wind blowing from the west which
+seemed to cut into his bones, but Clay sat down not far from the camp
+and awaited the opening of the drama! He could hear the campers moving
+about, but could not distinguish the words spoken. The moon sank out
+of sight for good before any movement was made.
+
+Then Clay saw a figure fit to frighten the most courageous leave the
+fringe of willows and advance deliberately toward the center of the
+island. He had hard work to make himself understand that the thing he
+saw was only one of the boys. If the very Old Scratch himself had set
+foot on the "tow-head" he could not have presented a more sinister
+appearance. Clay watched the advance of the figure with bated breath.
+
+In a second after the figure appeared, flaming of face and pointing
+hands, with a great cross of fire on what appeared to be a naked
+breast, a long, wavering cry went up from the camp, and then there
+came a rush of feet. Clay could not tell at first which way the feet
+were going, but a moment convinced him that they were putting a swift
+distance between the camp and the devil-figure approaching.
+
+When a second figure, marked like the first, appeared the shrieks of
+alarm, the running of frightened feet, were drowned by the commands of
+a bull-like voice to stop the panic-stricken flight and use revolver
+and knife!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HALF FULL OF DIAMONDS
+
+
+At that moment, notwithstanding the commotion and the threats of
+coming trouble, Clay felt like congratulating Alex. and Jule on the
+manner in which they were carrying out their reckless plans. More
+blood-curdling shrieks than now proceeded from the throats of the boys
+he had never heard.
+
+Knowing that defeat, perhaps death, would instantly follow on the
+heels of retreat, Alex. and Jule charged the camp, swinging their
+fire-coated arms and uttering cries which it did not seem possible
+could issue forth from human lips. There naturally followed a swifter
+flight on the part of the negroes.
+
+But three or four black men, less superstitious, or having more at
+stake, than the others, stood their ground, calling to their
+companions that it was a white man's trick, and that they should
+return and ascertain by the use of steel and lead just how human their
+visitors were. For a time the voices of the courageous ones did not
+check the mad rush for the river, but finally a group gathered on the
+beach and engaged in conversation, which, of course, Clay could not
+hear.
+
+Alex. and Jule now "disappeared" in approved "ghost" fashion--that is,
+they drew black cloths over their faces and hands so that their
+flaming make-up could no longer be seen. In fact, it was now so dark,
+the moon having set, that even the figures of the boys could not be
+seen when they crouched on the ground. The negroes on the beach were
+only visible because they formed quite a large group and kept
+constantly in excited motion.
+
+Clay wondered if the boys would now understand that their trick had
+failed and make for the _Rambler_. At the first rush the negroes had
+fled, but they were now listening to arguments intended to reassure
+them, and the ultimate result was not in doubt.
+
+Before long the black men would swarm back to the camp, perhaps make a
+thorough search of the entire "tow-head," in which case the boys were
+sure to be discovered, unless they made their way back to the boat
+before the search began. Clay placed himself between the camp and the
+boat and waited, thinking that his reserve weapons might be needed.
+
+The information that he had seen figures leaving the boat just before
+the advent of the "ghosts," as given by the watcher, had instant
+effect on the negroes. They swarmed back toward the camp, making a
+great many more threats than Clay thought was necessary! Two familiar
+figures now came dashing toward Clay, and he called out softly to them
+to halt a moment. The figures developed into two rather frightened
+boys as soon as they came close to the watcher.
+
+"Me for the boat!" panted Jule. "I reckon these coons know a ghost
+when they see one--not! Me for the feathers, too when I light! Come
+on, Alex!"
+
+"Go on and get aboard!" Alex. urged. "I want to see Clay a moment."
+
+Jule darted away and was soon out of sight. Although he had carefully
+made up as a disciple of Old Nick, he was careful not to exhibit any
+of his trade-marks as he moved towards the boat! Clay and Alex. stood
+listening to the commotion for a moment, and then the latter panted,
+taking Clay's arm as he did so, and drawing him back toward the camp:
+
+"When I got up there," he said, "I stumbled over some one lying on the
+ground! I felt about for a minute and found pretty much rags! Then
+some one told me to get off the island or I would be murdered."
+
+"Go on!" Clay said excitedly. "We have no time to lose if we are to
+investigate this matter. Was the person you talked with a prisoner?"
+
+"Sure he was. He asked me to cut the cords, but I had no knife with me
+and so had to make an effort to untie them. The captive talked while I
+was at work on the knots, and who do you think it was. Give you three
+guesses!"
+
+"Hurry! Hurry! We have no time to lose, I tell you, if the captive is
+in need of our assistance. Who is it?"
+
+"The kid who came on board the _Rambler_ at Cairo!" replied Alex.
+
+"And you had to leave him there--tied?"
+
+"What else could I do?" asked Alex. "I didn't have even a knife! This
+foolish bathing suit has no pockets, so I brought no arms with me.
+What could I do, when the coons were making a rush for the camp?"
+
+"We've got to get that kid!" Clay cried.
+
+"If they would only go away for a minute," Alex. declared, "I could
+get him and bring him to the boat, ropes and all!"
+
+A shot came from the _Rambler_, and, turning, the boys saw that the
+craft was aglow with electric lights! Instantly they crouched lower in
+the willows, for the strong prow lamp cast a ray far over on the
+"tow-head."
+
+Another shot came from the boat, and then the negroes at the camp made
+a break for the beach, passing within a rod of where the two boys lay
+concealed.
+
+"Shall we take them in the rear?" asked Alex. "They have attacked the
+boat."
+
+"Don't shoot!" warned Clay. "Remember that we had no right to molest
+them in the first place! The boys on the boat are awake, or the lights
+wouldn't be on. They can protect themselves, I reckon. I hope Jule is
+in a safe place!"
+
+The lights were still on, but not a person could be seen. Then more
+shots came, and Clay saw that the boys were firing through the small
+port holes in the gunwale, and that the negroes were contenting
+themselves with firing volley after volley at the cabin windows, which
+were now void of glass!
+
+While the boys on shore watched with intense anxiety, the motors of
+the _Rambler_ were heard, and then the boat began to drop down stream.
+
+"I wonder if Jule got on board?" Alex. asked.
+
+"If he met with no opposition on the way he probably did," was the
+reply. "At least we must suppose that he is either on the boat or in
+hiding on the island."
+
+"Come on, then!" shouted Alex. "We'll make a success of this excursion
+yet. We'll take possession of the camp. I want a confidential talk
+with the prisoner!"
+
+"You'll be getting a confidential talk with a bullet pretty soon, if
+you don't pay more attention to getting off!" Clay answered. "The boat
+has dropped down, and the negroes will soon be back here. It is
+another swim! What?"
+
+Almost before Clay had done speaking Alex. was off in the darkness.
+Clay could just see his figure moving along the ground, so he followed
+on after him, wondering what new trick the lad had in mind. The light
+from the _Rambler_ grew fainter every instant. For some reason unknown
+to Clay, the boat was being moved down stream a long way.
+
+In a moment Clay saw Alex. bending over a figure lying on the ground
+at the edge of a rude windbreak of willow bushes, cut and woven
+together.
+
+"Where's the coon's boat?" he asked, hurriedly.
+
+Clay smiled happily. He had not thought of that!
+
+"Off there on the east side," replied the boy. "Have you got a knife
+yet?"
+
+For answer Alex. seized the lad by the feet and called out to Clay:
+
+"Catch him by the shoulders, and we'll carry him!"
+
+Clay was not slow in following the suggestion, and the boys soon had
+the captive between the fringe of willows and the water. The boat was
+there, a large, four-oared craft which was partly filled with plunder
+taken from the river. The negroes were evidently making a business of
+gathering supplies from the flood. Just then Jule came up, out of
+breath from a stumbling run in the dark.
+
+The captive was placed on board, and then Clay seized a pair of heavy
+oars.
+
+"Take the helm," he called to Alex., "and you help with the oars,
+Jule," he added.
+
+Then the craft shot out into the current. When she came around the
+corner of the little island, where the light from the _Rambler_ struck
+her a series of frantic shouts came from the men huddled on the south
+bank, and a few shots were fired, but, the current running swiftly,
+they were soon out of range.
+
+"Let 'em swim," chuckled Alex. "A bath will be good for what ails
+them!"
+
+"Alex.," remarked Clay, panting with the heavy work at the oars, "you
+deserve a Carnegie medal!"
+
+"Sure!" chuckled the other. "I'm the Johnny-on-the-Spot when it comes
+to prescribing healthful stunts for the working classes! Where is that
+boat going?" he added as the _Rambler_ disappeared around a distant
+bend in the stream.
+
+"This is what comes of running off in the night without telling the
+boys what we were up to!" panted Jule. "This is some boat, when it
+comes to weight."
+
+In ten minutes the lights of the _Rambler_ were in sight again, the
+rowboat having passed around the bend. Then Clay took out a
+searchlight and began making signals to those on board. Directly an
+answering signal came from the boat, and then the lights halted,
+turned, and came up stream.
+
+"You're a nice lot of watchmen!" Case called out, as the two boats
+came close together. "We thought you had caught a floater boat and
+drifted down stream."
+
+"This," grinned Alex., "is the only old and original relief
+expedition. We have with us to-night a brand snatched from the coons!"
+
+"Hand down a knife!" called Clay. "This lad is capable of climbing on
+board by his own self! And swing around a little so as not to tip us
+over!"
+
+With no little difficulty the boys were landed on the deck of the
+_Rambler_. Case regarded the visitor with a quizzical smile as he bent
+over him.
+
+"Did you take a dive at Cairo," he asked, "and come up at Memphis?"
+
+The boy answered only by a weary smile, and Mose stood staring at him
+with widening eyes, while Captain Joe sniffed suspiciously at his worn
+garments. Teddy invited him to a boxing match!
+
+"I'll go you boys a dollar to an apple," Case observed, "that this kid
+is still empty! He looks it! Anyway, I'll go and get him something to
+eat!"
+
+"And don't forget the heroic rescuers!" Alex. called out. "I haven't
+had a thing to eat since supper! Say, kid," he went on, "what's your
+name?"
+
+"Chester Vinton," was the reply, in a frightened voice. "I'm running
+away."
+
+"You wasn't running very fast when we found you!" commented Alex. "How
+did you come to mix with those wreckers?"
+
+"I was on a raft," was the answer, "and I was hungry, and I saw them
+on the island, and asked them for something to eat. They tied me up!"
+
+"Why didn't you stay on board the boat at Cairo?" asked Clay.
+
+"I was afraid," was the reply.
+
+"Red is back up the river looking for you," Jule observed, still
+shivering from his exposure to the cold water. "He took passage with
+us part of the way down."
+
+"I should think he did!" chuckled Alex. "And he was a first cabin
+passenger at that!"
+
+"Well," Clay decided, presently, "perhaps we'd better feed this boy
+and put him to bed. He looks as if he'd been up against something
+hard."
+
+The lad ate ravenously, and then began undressing. Clay sat in the
+cabin with him. He was full of wonderment at this second meeting with
+the boy, and wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but decided to
+wait until the lad was in better condition.
+
+As the visitor threw his ragged clothes off a thud on the floor told
+of something of considerable weight in one of the pockets.
+
+"Do you carry a gun, lad?" he asked, stooping over to lift the
+trousers.
+
+The boy bounded forward and snatched at the trousers, but Clay was too
+quick for him. The article which had made the noise on the floor was a
+leather bag.
+
+An investigation showed that it was half full of diamonds of
+exceptional quality!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A RIVER ROBBER IN A NEW ROLE
+
+
+With half a dozen stones of splendid value rolling over the palm of
+his hand, Clay regarded the boy accusingly.
+
+"Where did you get the diamonds?" he asked.
+
+The boy did not answer. Clay had expected confusion and shame. Instead
+he met with anger and reproach. Chester ("Chet" from that day forward)
+shot forward like an arrow and tried to wrest the bag from his hands.
+Clay put him back tolerantly.
+
+"Give them back to me!" Chet shouted so loudly that the boys out on
+the deck entered the cabin and stood in an astonished group about the
+two.
+
+Clay, grasping the bag and the lose gems, held his hands high above
+his head.
+
+"Where did you get them?" he persisted.
+
+"Give them back to me!" yelled Chet. "You've been following me for
+this, have you? You're all as bad as the river thieves I've met up
+with! Give them to me!"
+
+"What do you think of the little one for a diamond dip?" asked Alex.,
+pointing at the flushed face of the agitated boy. "He's some clever!"
+
+"I reckon he belongs with Red, the Robber, all right!" Jule put in.
+
+"He seems to be pretty well fixed!" laughed Case. "Those gems are
+worth more than a hundred thousand dollars! Did you swipe them from
+the men who robbed the Rock Island warehouse, kid?" he added.
+
+Chet turned a flaming face toward this new accuser.
+
+"Don't you dare call me a thief!" he shouted. "The diamonds are mine!
+I never stole them. Give them back to me, you--you--river pirates!"
+
+"That's good, coming from him!" grinned Alex. "Come on, little one,
+and tell us who these stones belong to."
+
+"I tell you they are mine!" Chet again insisted. "I never stole them!
+You give them back to me! If I had the strength I'd tear your heart
+out!"
+
+"Of course!" laughed Clay. "Of course you'd do something desperate if
+you had the strength! But don't trouble yourself about the diamonds!
+If they belong to you, you shall have them. But we don't want to
+harbor a thief, you know!"
+
+"I don't believe you'll ever give them back to me!" sobbed the boy.
+"I've brought them down the river, all this way, to be robbed of them
+at last!"
+
+In a spasm of grief the lad threw himself on the cabin floor and burst
+into an uncontrollable fit of weeping. The boys stood around for a
+moment, looking rather sheepishly at each other, and then all left the
+cabin but Clay.
+
+"Come kid," the latter said, lifting Chet from the floor and holding
+him in his arms like a baby, "don't act like you'd lost your last
+friend! If you're honest, you've found friends instead of losing them.
+You shall have the diamonds back, if you can show that they belong to
+you. Brace up, now, and go on to bed!"
+
+Chet regarded Clay through wet eyes for a moment and then slipped away
+to the bunk which had been set aside for him. The frank inspection
+seemed to have in a measure restored his equanimity. Clay sat down by
+the side of the bunk, the diamonds in his hands.
+
+"Why don't you tell me all about it?" he asked of the boy. "Why not
+settle the whole matter right here, and so have done with it? Where
+did you get them?"
+
+"I've promised not to tell," was the reply.
+
+"You are not making a very good beginning," Clay admonished.
+
+Chet made no reply whatever, but turned his face away. Clay went on,
+patiently:
+
+"Where is your home?"
+
+"I haven't got any home," was the reply. "I never had one."
+
+"But you must belong somewhere," Clay insisted. "Where did you live
+last?"
+
+"I'm not going to tell you anything at all," Chet replied, "until I
+see the man that made me promise to keep silent, and until he gives me
+leave to talk with you."
+
+"Is the man you mention Red, the riverman?" asked Clay.
+
+"Didn't I just tell you that I wasn't going to talk?" demanded the
+boy.
+
+"All right," Clay responded. "Take all the time you want! In the
+meantime, I'll keep the diamonds. Will you promise to remain on the
+boat?"
+
+"If I had the diamonds, I'd quit you right now!" said the boy,
+savagely. "I may as well tell you the truth. If you keep the diamonds,
+I'll stay until I get them, but I'll find them and take them with me
+if I can. You just mind that!"
+
+"You're a frank little chap, anyway!" laughed Clay.
+
+"I wasn't brought up to tell lies!" was the astonishing reply.
+
+"Who brought you up?" asked Clay. "You just said you never had any
+home!"
+
+"Never did!" was the reply. "Say, you won't blame me if I find where
+you put the diamonds and run off with them, will you?" he added, quite
+gravely.
+
+"I don't see how I can blame you, after such fair warning," laughed
+Clay.
+
+"And you won't help any one to find me?" persisted the little fellow.
+
+"No," answered Clay, "if you are sharp enough to get the diamonds away
+from me, I'll never let on that I ever saw or heard of you. Is that
+satisfactory to you?"
+
+"Will you shake hands on that?" asked Chet, sitting up on the bunk.
+
+"Gladly! Now, go to sleep and wake up in a more communicative mood
+to-morrow."
+
+"I'll stick to what I said!" Chet answered, and Clay left him alone in
+the cabin. When he reached the deck he was at once surrounded by the
+boys, all eager to know the outcome of the conference. Clay told them
+of what had taken place.
+
+"He's a nervy little chap!" Clay concluded, "and I like him very much
+already."
+
+"You bet he's all right, that kid!" Alex. said. "If he wasn't, he
+wouldn't have told you that he would get the gems the first time he
+got a chance. Besides, see how he is keeping the promise made to some
+other fellow! Where are you going to keep the diamonds, Clay?" the boy
+continued. "Don't you ever think the kid won't try hard to find them!
+I hope he won't feel called upon to cut all our throats in order to
+obtain possession of them! I believe he would do it if he thought it
+necessary!"
+
+"Well," Clay answered, speaking in a low tone and looking in through
+the glass panel of the cabin door to see that Chet was still in his
+bunk, "I think I'll go ashore at Memphis, for supplies, you know, and
+put the gems in a deposit box at one of the banks."
+
+"That's a fine idea!" cried Case. "He'll never get them there!"
+
+"But you want to look out that you're not pinched in the bank," Alex.
+advised. "That warehouse robbery is making some noise, and if a boy
+from a river boat is seen to have diamonds, it is the jail house for
+yours!"
+
+"If you put them in a bank deposit box," Jule observed, "you'd better
+do them up so as to look like a package of papers--bonds, or stocks,
+or something like that."
+
+"That is a good idea, too!" Clay exclaimed. "I'll do it!"
+
+"I'd give a lot to know more about the boy and the diamonds," Clay
+mused, as the boys began getting breakfast.
+
+They had talked so long, after reaching the boat, that they had not
+before realized that it was most morning, and now there was a flush in
+the east which told of sunrise.
+
+When Clay went back into the cabin to see about the fire, he found
+Chet crouching on the floor just back of the door. He yawned as Clay
+entered the apartment.
+
+"What are you doing here?" asked Clay, in amazement.
+
+"Guess I'm trying to find my way to the door!" was the half-smiling
+reply. "I didn't seem to know where I was when I woke up!"
+
+Clay accepted the excuse, and went on with his preparation of
+breakfast. However, he doubted what the boy had said. Notwithstanding
+the previous good impression he had formed of the waif, he wondered if
+the lad had not crept out of bed and stationed himself by the door in
+order to hear what was said about the disposition of the gems.
+
+"I'll have to be more careful," Clay thought. "That boy is a clever
+one!"
+
+After breakfast the waif was rigged out with a suit of Alex.'s
+clothes. In the new attire he seemed to be a different boy from the
+one taken from the camp.
+
+The boys did not accept as the truth all he said about himself, though
+that was not much. When he declared that he had never had any home,
+they commented on the fact that his speech and manners were those of a
+boy who had been given a fair education.
+
+Chet at once took to the pets of the boat, Mose, Captain Joe, and
+Teddy, the bear cub, and they immediately recognized him as a member
+of the family.
+
+While he was playing with the cub on the prow, Clay made an oblong
+package of the diamonds, scattering them in between sheets of paper,
+and marked them "Bonds." The bag in which they had been found was half
+filled with burrs, and small bits of a broken dish and tied tight. It
+resembled the bag as it had stood before any change had been made when
+Clay had finished with it.
+
+This bag Clay resolved to keep in his pocket until he could place it
+under the eyes of the boy who claimed it, the idea being to see if he
+really would snatch the supposed prize and take to the river again.
+Clay hoped that he would not, for all liked the little fellow. That
+afternoon they ran down to a Memphis pier and Clay went ashore with
+the gems.
+
+He was in time to secure a deposit box at a bank and stow the diamonds
+away. The cashier with whom he did business asked questions regarding
+his age and permanent residence, and seemed satisfied with his
+answers. He was, indeed, especially interested in Clay's description
+of the _Rambler_ and the voyages the boys had made in her, and asked
+permission to visit the party that evening if he found time.
+
+Clay gladly gave the required permission, ordered supplies sent to the
+pier, and then started out for a look at the beautiful city. Almost at
+the entrance to the bank he met Alex., who had the flushed appearance
+of a boy who had been walking pretty fast.
+
+The two walked together for a block without speaking, save for the
+initial greeting, and then Alex. proposed that they go to a restaurant
+and have a "steak about as big as a parlor rug," as he expressed it.
+Clay agreed, but laughed at the notion.
+
+"Why not take it on board?" he asked. "We can cook it much better than
+any city chef," he added.
+
+"Well," Alex. replied, "I saw a neat little restaurant back here, not
+far from the river front, and I thought I'd like to go there and have
+a feed."
+
+So the two turned into the restaurant, when they came to it, and took
+a small table at a rear corner of the room. It being late for dinner
+and early for supper, there were few in the place.
+
+One party, at the front of the room, at once attracted Clay's
+attention. There were three men in the party, one young, smiling and
+flashily dressed; one old, grizzled and clad in a well-worn business
+suit; and another dressed expensively and with great care. This man
+had a surprising growth of red hair which showed evidences of great
+care. His face was smooth-shaven, and had the appearance of having
+recently been divested of a beard, the flesh showing soft and white,
+as if not long exposed to the weather.
+
+When this man arose to pay the check and laid a hand on the back of a
+chair, Clay noticed that the hand was very large and finely kept. The
+man was something over six feet in height! Clay gave Alex. a kick
+under the table and directed his gaze to the large man, then passing
+over to the cashier's window.
+
+"Take a good look at that man," he whispered. "Ever see him before?"
+
+"I saw him when I passed," was the reply, "and brought you here.
+That's Red, the Robber."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+ALEX. BREAKS FURNITURE
+
+
+"Unless Red, the Robber, has a twin who is an exact duplicate of
+himself," Clay whispered, "that is just who it is!"
+
+"When I passed here," Alex. explained, "the three were just sitting
+down to dinner, and I knew that I could get you back here in time to
+see Red, the Robber, before he could finish the big steak he had just
+tackled. There he is! Now what?"
+
+"It doesn't seem possible that that finely-dressed, well-groomed man
+is really the one who talked with us out on the river at Cairo, and
+who afterwards captured the _Rambler_ by holding a gun about the size
+of a cannon on me," Clay declared.
+
+"And the man who bespoke kind treatment for Chet, the waif," Alex.
+went on. "I guess we're both seeing things not present to the senses!
+There ain't no such man!"
+
+"It can't be!" Clay tried to convince himself. "It can't be the same
+man!"
+
+Yet he knew deep down in his heart that it was the same man! If there
+had been any doubt of the complete identification at the start, there
+was none when the man spoke to the cashier in the full, deep voice
+which Clay knew that he had heard while he was tied up in the cabin of
+the _Rambler_!
+
+"I have heard that river thieves sometimes make up to look like
+bankers and high-up politicians," Alex. whispered.
+
+"And I have heard that bankers and high-up politicians occasionally
+assume the disguises of river characters for some purpose of their
+own," Clay returned.
+
+"Do they mix with murderers and steal motor boats when they do that?"
+asked Alex., with a provoking snicker. "'Cause if they do, this may be
+one of the high-ups!"
+
+"He must recognize us," Clay went on. "Watch and see if you catch in
+him any signs of joy at the meeting!"
+
+"He hasn't yet shown that he knows we are in the room," Alex. replied.
+
+"There's one way to find out who he is," Clay suggested. "When he
+leaves here, you follow him until he enters some house or office and
+ask questions about him after he goes on. I'll do the same here--that
+is, I'll see what the cashier knows about him."
+
+Alex., glad of an opportunity of showing what he could accomplish as a
+detective, readily agreed to this arrangement, and, the man leaving
+the restaurant at the moment, Alex. darted away after him, leaving
+Clay to question the cashier.
+
+The big man, still in the company of his two companions, walked
+briskly toward the river front, after leaving the restaurant, and
+finally came to a stop at a pier some distance down the stream from
+that at which the motor boat lay. Alex. watched the three men shake
+hands gravely and part, the one he believed to be Red going on board a
+small steamer which lay close by with smoke pouring from her stacks.
+
+"Now," thought the boy, "shall I give it up, or shall I sneak on board
+the boat and see what I can learn of this man who poses as a river
+pirate one day and as a gentleman of great respectability the next?"
+
+Alex.'s horse sense told him to wait about the pier until some one
+came off the boat and engage that person in conversation in an effort
+to learn the identity of the man he was following, but his natural
+love of adventure told him to make his way on board and learn there
+what he could, not only of the man, but of the steamer and its
+destination and cargo.
+
+The spirit of adventure won, and Alex., waiting until there was no one
+in sight on the freight deck, ventured on board. There was still no
+one in sight when he reached the staircase leading to the cabin, and
+he proceeded to climb up, listening between steps for indications of
+human life.
+
+He found the indications he sought with a vengeance at the head of the
+stairs. As he stepped up a husky negro seized him by the collar and
+dragged him toward the prow. Alex. kicked and struggled to no purpose.
+The negro was too strong for him. All the time he was carrying him
+along, almost as he would have carried a kitten, the negro kept up a
+running fire of comment.
+
+The boy gathered from this comment that he was regarded as a sneak
+thief, and tried more than once to explain, but the negro kept on
+talking to himself and paid no attention to the words of his prisoner.
+Alex. administered a sturdy kick and gave it up.
+
+Presently a door was opened at the very front end of the cabin and the
+boy was thrust into a small stateroom. The force of his entrance sent
+him against a berth and he crawled up and lay down to think things
+over. He heard the door behind him locked.
+
+"This is a pretty kettle of fish!" grunted the boy, as he looked about
+the room.
+
+It was just an ordinary stateroom, with one bunk, a dresser, and a
+chair. The window looking out on deck was covered by green
+slat-blinds, and ornamental metal-work covered the glass panel of the
+door opening into the cabin.
+
+After taking in the room in all its details, Alex. arose and tried to
+open the green blinds so as to get a look outside. To his surprise he
+found that they would not open. They were of steel, and were there to
+protect the window! The room was as stoutly guarded as a prison cell!
+
+"Red, the Robber, seems to have use for a cell," the boy thought,
+"that is, if this is his boat! I wonder what he thinks he's going to
+do with me?"
+
+Alex. had now no doubt that Red had recognized Clay and himself at the
+restaurant. He wondered if Clay, too, had been trapped! He could not
+make up his mind as to whether the man was a robber or a gentleman of
+business standing, but he knew that he was in a most undesirable
+situation.
+
+Then he began to wonder if Red knew that he was on board! The man had
+given no intimation that he had knowledge of being followed. He,
+Alex., had sneaked on board, like a veritable wharf rat, and the husky
+negro had been fully justified in taking him into custody! Still, the
+negro should have listened to his explanations and given him a chance
+to prove his innocence.
+
+This last view of the case was much more to the liking of the boy than
+the previous one, for Red had shown a friendly spirit while on board
+the _Rambler_, and might now set him free as soon as informed of his
+capture. Clay had permitted Red his freedom under much more trying
+conditions!
+
+"If he's a river thief," Alex. concluded, "he'll keep me here until he
+is sure I can't injure him by telling of his raid on the motor boat,
+but if he is on the level--if he was, for some purpose of his own,
+masquerading while in company with Sam--he will release me as soon as
+he knows I am here--for Clay's sake, if not for my own!"
+
+This was a rather comforting conclusion, so the boy began beating with
+all his might on the panels of the door. He pounded away for some
+moments without hearing the least response, and then sat down to rest.
+
+While he sat there on the berth, panting from his unnoticed exertions,
+the boat quivered in all its timbers, the noise of escaping steam
+reached his ears, and then he knew that the steamer was under way.
+This was the worst thing that could happen to the boy, and he knew it.
+
+The steamer might go to Cuba, or to the upper reaches of the Missouri
+or the Mississippi, separating him from his chums for weeks. If Red
+really was a robber, he would not take the chance of releasing him,
+for that would give him an opportunity to warn those on board the
+_Rambler_, as well as to report to the police the illegal seizure of
+the motor boat!
+
+"I'm going to find out about this!" Alex. declared, springing off the
+berth. "I'm going to do an English suffragette stunt and smash
+windows!"
+
+As his whole mind was set on making a noise so as to attract the
+attention of the man he had followed on board, the boy was by no means
+conservative in his next move.
+
+First he took the light-framed chair which stood by the berth and
+smashed it against the fancy metal work which protected the glass
+panel. The chair went to pieces without touching the glass, so Alex.
+took up a slender leg and, poking it through in between the metal
+work, punched out the pane.
+
+It fell back into the cabin with a rattle, and then Alex., putting his
+face close to the opening, let out a yell which would have done credit
+to an Apache Indian on the warpath! In the meantime the steamer was
+backing out into the current.
+
+"I guess that will let 'em know they have a cabin passenger!" Alex.
+grunted, as he began tossing the fragments of the chair out on the
+cabin floor.
+
+The boy was just considering the firing of his automatic, which had
+not been taken from him by the negro, when a heavy voice near at hand
+broke into a hearty laugh, and the face of the red-headed man appeared
+before the opening, half-shielded by an arm, for the boy was still
+looking for things to throw through.
+
+"What seems to be the difficulty?" the man asked, and Alex. thought he
+saw a twinkle of humor in the blue eyes fixed upon him.
+
+"No difficulty at all," Alex. answered, with a touch of irony in his
+tone. "I'm just doing this for exercise, and to make business for boat
+builders!"
+
+"Of course," laughed the man, "you wouldn't come out if I should
+unlock the door?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know," Alex. replied. "I've got a good deal of work to do
+in here yet, and I might bring back an axe to help out."
+
+"You'll find that the berth is of steel," the red-headed man said.
+"You can't chop that up. How long will it take you to finish the
+dresser? I might come back and let you out as soon as you have got
+through with that!"
+
+"All right!" grinned the boy, "anything to oblige," and he went at the
+dresser with the leg of a chair!
+
+The giant unlocked the door, stepped inside, and, taking Alex. by the
+ear, marched him out of the wrecked room. Once in the cabin he let go
+of the ear and walked toward the stern with a hand on the boy's arm.
+
+"You wasn't so giddy the last time I saw you!" declared the boy.
+
+The man laughed, opened the door of a large stateroom toward the
+stern, pushed the boy inside, and stepped in after him. This was a
+handsome room, elaborately furnished. Alex. dropped into a chair and
+looked about.
+
+The steamer now seemed to be making fast time down the river, and
+Alex. looked out of a window in the hope of seeing the location of the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"Say," he finally asked, wrinkling his freckled nose at the man, "what
+is the answer to this? I give it up!"
+
+"What was it you boys put in the deposit box at the bank?" asked the
+man.
+
+"I didn't put anything in; I didn't go to any bank."
+
+"But your chum did. You met him at the bank entrance, and brought him
+back to look at me! You know what he put in the vault box. What was
+it?"
+
+"It was a long package marked bonds," was the boy's reply.
+
+"But did the package contain bonds?"
+
+"I don't know; I never saw the inside of it," answered Alex.,
+wondering if this man had followed all their movements since being
+allowed to leave the _Rambler_.
+
+"Perhaps the lad you call Clay will tell," smiled the giant. "Or the
+boys on the _Rambler_ may give the information I seek--when you both
+fail to return to-night."
+
+"So you've got Clay, too, have you?" shouted Alex., and he make a rush
+for the door!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE LEATHER BAG MISSING
+
+
+When Clay went to the cashier's desk to pay the check for the meals
+the two boys had eaten, also with a view of finding out what was known
+there of the red-headed man, he asked the first question which came
+into his mind.
+
+"Is that the sheriff--the tall man with the red hair?"
+
+The cashier eyed the boy keenly for a moment and then answered the
+question by asking one, as many who wait on the public have a habit of
+doing.
+
+"Why? Do you want to see the sheriff?" he asked, suspiciously.
+
+Clay was provoked, but tried not to show it as he replied,
+
+"I thought I knew the man, that's all. Perhaps I was mistaken, for he
+would have recognized me, I'm certain, if he had ever seen me before."
+
+"Well, that's not the sheriff," the cashier replied, more civilly; "I
+don't know who he is. He came in here this forenoon, for the first
+time, with those two men, and he has been in here twice since. There
+are others with him, too, for people kept coming in and making reports
+of some kind to him. One made a sign to him, through the glass, while
+you were eating. He may be a crook, for all I know."
+
+Clay thanked the cashier and went away, turning in the direction of
+the river front immediately. At the next corner he came face to face
+with the cashier of the bank where he had secured the deposit box. The
+banker extended a hand in greeting.
+
+"I was just wishing," he said, "that I could run across you this
+afternoon. I have a little spare time, and I'd like to look over that
+wonderful boat of yours. Not long ago I saw a full-page description of
+your river trips in a Chicago newspaper."
+
+"Come along, then," Clay replied. "You'll have a good chance to see it
+by daylight if you go now. It isn't very much of a boat, but we're
+proud of it. It is just an ordinary motor boat, with electrical
+attachments which provide for lighting and cooking. There's also a
+little refrigerator, cooled by water, and a container for holding
+electricity in storage, so we have plenty of light when the boat is
+not running. But come along and take a look at it."
+
+As the two walked arm-in-arm down the street two men fell in behind
+them, moving as they moved, fast or slow, and stopping whenever the
+cashier drew up to explain some city feature to the boy. After a
+couple of blocks of this work, the two walked faster and, coming in
+advance of the two they had followed, turned about and greeted the
+cashier warmly. They were promptly introduced to Clay as Hilton and
+Carney.
+
+"We're just going to the river to look over the _Rambler_, the famous
+motor boat we have talked so much about," Benson, the cashier said.
+"If Mr. Emmett, here, has no objections, I'd like to have you go along
+with us."
+
+"No objections whatever," Clay responded. "There isn't much to see,
+but such as it is you are welcome to have a look."
+
+Clay did not observe the significant look which passed from the
+cashier to the two men, as they walked along toward the boat. They
+soon reached the pier and went aboard the _Rambler_, finding Case,
+Chet, Jule and Mose there. The bear cub attracted a great deal of
+attention, and Chet seemed to take special interest in the doings of
+the party.
+
+The three men did not hurry themselves at all, but took their time
+about everything. They inspected the bunks and the cupboard, and even
+looked into the storage places under the decks and the cabin floor.
+
+Clay was with them most of the time, but now and then they halted and
+conversed together in low tones, so, of course, the boy dropped away
+from the group. He considered this a strange proceeding on the part of
+the guests, but said nothing.
+
+Finally they asked Clay all sorts of questions about their progress
+down the river, when they left Rock Island, when they touched at St.
+Louis, and when they reached Cairo. The boy, though wondering,
+answered the rather personal questions frankly.
+
+It was almost dark when the visitors left the boat. Their last visit
+had been made to the cabin, to inspect the electric stove, and they
+passed the boys on the prow as they went ashore. For a time after
+their departure the boys discussed the unusual conduct of the
+visitors, and then Chet and Clay went in to prepare supper.
+
+Taking advantage of a momentary absence of Chet from the cabin, Clay
+looked in the hiding-place where he had left the leather bag in which
+the diamonds had been brought on shore. The bag was gone! Clay
+hastened out on deck to meet two astonished boys.
+
+"Say," Case said, "what's come over Chet? He came out of the cabin
+like a shot and jumped off on the pier. Then, without even stopping to
+look back, he ran down into the city! What have you been doing to
+him?"
+
+Clay stood for a moment like one incapable of speech, then he dropped
+into a deck-chair and laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks.
+Captain Joe and Teddy joined the others in their criticism of his
+strange actions.
+
+"You didn't get too many high balls while in the city, did you?" asked
+Case.
+
+"You might have kept sober enough to bring Alex. back with you!" Jule
+put in.
+
+"Ah believe yo' done scare dat lad off de boat!" little Mose
+suggested.
+
+"Well," Clay explained, presently, "I suppose I ought to treat the
+matter more seriously, for we may have lost Chet for good, but it is
+funny for all that."
+
+"Why don't you pass it around?" demanded Case. "Let us in on the
+laugh!"
+
+"You all know what I did with the articles we found on Chet," Clay
+responded. "Well, when I took the valuables out of the leather bag, I
+put burrs from the repair kit and pieces of broken dishes into the bag
+and hid it where I thought Chet might find it if he looked long
+enough."
+
+"I don't see anything funny in that," observed Case, with a frown.
+
+"Just wait! When I looked for the bag, just now, it was gone, and the
+next thing I hear is that Chet has taken to his heels. You see what
+has happened!"
+
+"The poor little chap!" exclaimed Case. "I'm sorry for him."
+
+"So am I," Clay agreed, "but he ought to have been honest with us."
+
+"We knew what to expect," Jule suggested. "He said he'd get the gems
+back if he could, didn't he? Now he thinks he's got them, and is
+lugging off a lot of truck not worth a cent! I call that a shame!"
+
+Clay looked thoughtful for a second and then burst out:
+
+"But is he? Look here, fellows," he went on, excitedly, "suppose he
+never took the bag at all! Suppose Chet found it and changed his mind
+about running off with it! Suppose one of the visitors took it!
+Suppose that is what they were here for; suppose Chet missed it as
+soon as they went away and chased on after them!"
+
+"You said the visitors were bankers!" exploded Jule. "What about
+that?"
+
+"One of them was, but I don't know anything about the others. Strange
+they should all be so eager to inspect the _Rambler_! Strange they
+should get off by themselves and talk in whispers! I reckon we're
+knee-deep in mystery!"
+
+"Well, where did you leave Alex.?" asked Jule. "He hasn't come back
+yet!"
+
+"And here's another funny thing," Clay went on, without answering the
+question, directly. "We saw Red, the Robber, up town, dressed like a
+gentleman! Alex. followed him out of the place where we saw him, and
+may have got into trouble!"
+
+"Then the stealing of the bag is Red's work!" decided Case. "No need
+to guess about that any more! How he got his men in with the banker I
+don't know, but he did it, and one of them took it, and poor Chet saw
+that it was gone, and now he is following a bag filled with crockery
+about the city!"
+
+"Pshaw!" Jule exclaimed. "It is dollars to doughnuts that Chet got the
+bag himself! He said he'd swipe it if he got a chance. You all know
+that!"
+
+A figure now came dashing down the pier at break-neck speed and Alex.
+leaped on the deck and dropped into a chair, wiping the sweat from his
+face.
+
+"Did you find who he was?" asked Clay, as the boys all gathered around
+Alex.
+
+Alex. told the story of the steamer and the wrecked stateroom, and
+ended with the talk he had had with Red, while the boys looked on in
+wonder at the odd twist things were getting into. Even Teddy Bear
+seemed impressed by the mystery, Jule declared!
+
+"And how did you get away from him?" demanded Case. "How did you get
+back here?"
+
+"I jumped and ran, and he caught me," was the reply. "Then he made me
+promise not to say a word about his escapade on the _Rambler_ and let
+me go! Can you beat it?"
+
+"What did he have you locked up for?" asked Clay. "I don't understand
+that."
+
+"Just because he wanted that promise," Alex. suggested. "Is that the
+answer?"
+
+"It may be," Clay admitted, "but here's the question: Is he a robber
+or a detective? Is he on the level, or is he just a clever scoundrel?"
+
+"Perhaps Alex. can judge better of that when he knows what has taken
+place here," Case suggested, going on with the story of the
+disappearance of the leather bag.
+
+"Red's gang got it," laughed Alex., without a moment's hesitation, as
+Case finished the story. "He knew Clay put something in the bank, and
+asked me what it was. Yes, we know all about it now!"
+
+"I just believe Chet took the bag, thinking the gems were in it,"
+insisted Jule.
+
+"We'll never know the truth until we find the lad," Clay said, with a
+sigh.
+
+"Unless Red, the Robber, shows up again in a confidential mood," Alex.
+laughed.
+
+"If the supplies I ordered are all in," Clay went on, "I think we'd
+better be on our way. There's mystery in the very air here!"
+
+"If we stay here long," Alex. prophesied, "the coon I biffed on the
+shin may show up, lookin' for revenge, or Red may come after pay for
+the furniture I smashed!"
+
+"What did he say about that furniture?" grinned Jule. "You've got the
+nerve!"
+
+"He never mentioned it," was the reply. "Say," the lad went on, "I
+believe that chap is all to the good, after all! He seemed to think
+the smash act was funny."
+
+During the afternoon Case and Mose had caught a large fish and Chet
+had succeeded in bringing down a wild duck, so the cooking of supper
+was an elaborate affair. Then Clay made light biscuits and coffee, and
+fried potatoes, and the boys were as happy as well-fed boys with no
+one to "boss," usually are, except that they missed Chet.
+
+After supper they discussed the proposition of waiting there a day in
+the hope of finding the runaway boy, but it was finally decided that
+he could find them easier than they could find him, so they started
+the motors and went on toward the Gulf.
+
+The early part of the night was bright, so the boys ran down about
+twenty miles, as the river ran, and then tied up below a "tow-head"
+which stuck up out of the water below an island of good size. They
+found it necessary to take this precaution always, for the wash of
+large steamers passing up and down would have rattled things in the
+_Rambler_, if the motor boat was not capsized.
+
+At midnight the sky became overcast with threatening clouds and the
+wind blew in fitful gusts. There seemed to be no danger of their being
+disturbed by visitors that night, but all the same they thought best
+to station a watchman, and Case volunteered to keep awake and see that
+"no one flew away with the boat," as he expressed it.
+
+Somewhere about two o'clock in the morning, the boy, who was having
+hard work keeping awake, heard the puff and bellow of an approaching
+steamer, toiling up against the strong current. Almost at the same
+instant he felt a jar, as if the boat had been struck by floating
+driftwood. He switched on the prow light to see what was doing, but
+quickly extinguished it as the steamer came up and a heavy rowboat
+dropped away from her!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+WHAT DROPPED ON DECK
+
+
+"I guess my turning on that light started something!" the boy mused,
+as he darkened the small electric globe in the cabin and sat down to
+await developments. He kept just inside the cabin door at first, for
+the wind was cold and searching.
+
+For a few moments he could hear the working of oars and the push of
+the current on an advancing boat, and then all was silent save the
+sighing of the wind and the wash of the river, still burdened at times
+with floating wreckage. It seemed to him that the boat which had
+slipped away from the steamer had anchored somewhere near the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"I fully believe," Case grunted, as he finally left the cabin and
+looked out upon the dim river from the deck, "that if we should fly
+through the air on a cloud there would be some scamp watching us from
+another cloud! It's rotten, the way we are chased about!"
+
+The boy did not know that his complaint had found words until he heard
+a chuckle close to his side and turned about to faintly distinguish
+the freckled face of Alex., who stood looking over the river to the
+south.
+
+"You've got no kick coming!" Alex. declared. "You wouldn't go on these
+river trips if we found nothing more than scenery, any more than I
+would! It seems like living to be chased about, as you call it! If it
+wasn't for the mystery and adventure in the jaunts I'd be at home in
+little old Chicago--and that's where you'd be, too!"
+
+"Well," Case returned, "I'd like to get one night off occasionally!"
+
+"What is it now?" asked Alex. "I heard the steamer pass, but that
+didn't mean anything to me. What's going wrong now? Tell your old
+uncle Alex. all about it!"
+
+"Uncle nothing!" laughed Case, restored to better humor by the
+optimism of the other. "If you want to know what's on the string, go
+and get a glass and try to find a rowboat in this mess of river and
+black sky. A safety razor that won't cut air will be given to the
+first one that discovers the boat!"
+
+"Oh!" cried Alex. "There's a boat watching us! All right! Now I feel
+better! I was beginning to wonder when we'd have something to stir us
+up!"
+
+"The boat dropped off when the steamer went up," Case explained. "I
+saw it under the lights, but of course it vanished in the darkness as
+soon as the big boat passed."
+
+"There's something going on, then!" Alex. declared. "Of course they
+wouldn't know on board the steamer in the dark, that we were here, and
+so the thing which is going to happen is set to come off on shore. I'm
+going to stay awake and see what it is."
+
+"You see," Case stated, hesitatingly, "I heard a bump on the hull of
+the _Rambler_, just as the steamer was churning into sight, around
+that bend, and turned on the prow light to see about it! That's why
+the rowboat dropped off here, I take it."
+
+Alex. gave vent to a long, low whistle.
+
+"Then we've got into the spot-light again!" he said. "It won't be any
+trouble for me to keep awake now! Shall we tell Clay the glad news, or
+let him sleep?"
+
+"Oh, let him sleep! We can run this watch, all right!"
+
+While the boys whispered and listened, the long, bellowing roar of a
+locomotive whistle came to their ears from the east. Then came the
+distant rumble of a train.
+
+"What do you make of that?" asked Case. "I thought we were in the
+heart of a wild river country, and here come a train of cars--palace
+cars, I'll go you, at that!"
+
+"About three or four miles from the river, in the state of
+Mississippi," laughed Alex., "runs the old Yazoo & Mississippi
+railroad. There are little towns all along its line. Perhaps the boat
+dropped off the steamer to make one of the country bergs! We never
+thought of that, did we?"
+
+Case pulled the other by the arm and both drew away from the gunwale.
+
+"There's a boat out there now," he declared, in a whisper. "I heard
+the tunk of an oar then! I'll bet they are trying to get on board!"
+
+"Got your gun?" asked Alex.
+
+"Sure thing I have," was the reply.
+
+"And your searchlight?"
+
+"You know it!"
+
+"So have I," Alex. went on. "Now, if they try to board the _Rambler_,
+we'll lie low until they begin to climb over the rail. Then we'll turn
+on our electrics. If they are strangers, and look like river pirates,
+we'll shoot them up! What?"
+
+"But why not turn on the prow light?" asked Case.
+
+"Because we can handle the electric flashlights quicker. If we have to
+show the light and shoot, be quick to change your position after the
+light is switched off. Then, if they shoot back, they won't hit you."
+
+There was a boat approaching. There was no doubt about that. And the
+people on board of her were doing their best to keep their movements
+from being known by those of the _Rambler_. Case and Alex. could hear
+the dash of oars, and now and then a rough command. The two boys sat
+in silence and waited.
+
+Then, as Case and Alex. afterward complained, something happened which
+"spoilt all the fun!" Captain Joe came out of the cabin and gave forth
+a series of threatening growls, and Teddy added to the warning by
+saying things in bear talk!
+
+The mysterious boat came on no longer. There were still sounds of the
+working of a heavy craft in a strong current, but these gradually died
+out.
+
+"I'd like to throw you both into the river after them!" Alex. scolded
+at the animals, as they came around him, asking to be congratulated on
+their success in driving off the visitors! "Now we'll be haunted by
+those fellows for a week, while if you had kept quiet we'd have
+settled with them right here!"
+
+"Suppose we turn on the power and chase 'em up?" asked Case.
+
+"And give them a chance to do all the shooting!" replied Alex.
+scornfully. "I'm not looking for a watery grave in the Mississippi."
+
+"Well," Case continued, "if you don't want to follow them up, just to
+see what they look like, perhaps we'd better drop down a short
+distance. If we can't fight them, we don't want to feel that they're
+right under our noses, waiting for a chance to get us into a hole! I'd
+rather face a hundred men in the open than know that one was skulking
+about me in the darkness!"
+
+"This is a fierce old stream for strangers to travel on in the dark!"
+Alex. said.
+
+"I know it, but----"
+
+Before the boy could finish the sentence a faint jar came, as if some
+person had caught hold of the anchor chain and given it a pull, or
+hung his weight on it.
+
+"There's our friend!" Case whispered. "Now, get ready with your gun!"
+
+In a second, while the boys listened, they heard a hard substance fall
+on the deck. Alex.'s light flashed around the gunwale, but there was
+no one in sight.
+
+In the middle of the deck, however, still dripping from the river, lay
+the leather bag which had held the diamonds, and which had held only
+burrs and broken crockery when last seen on board the _Rambler_! Alex.
+picked it up, found that it was still half full of some hard
+substances, and shut off the light.
+
+"You saw it?" he asked of Case, as he cuddled down by the boy's side.
+
+"Of course! The leather bag!"
+
+"What do you think of it?" demanded Alex.
+
+"I don't think!" admitted Case. "I've lost the power of thought!"
+
+"But what did they throw it back here for?" insisted Alex.
+
+"Why did who throw it back here?" chuckled Case.
+
+"Now, look here, Smarty," Alex. continued. "There are only four
+persons who could have taken that bag from the boat, the cashier and
+his two friends, and Chet."
+
+"Unless the dog ate it, or Teddy threw it overboard."
+
+"Oh, quit your foolishness! Now, which one of the four is out there in
+the river? Whoever it is has a sense of humor, for the tossing of the
+bag back shows that the situation is appreciated."
+
+"You notice the steamer came UP the river?" asked Case.
+
+"Yes; what of it?" demanded Alex. "I don't see anything in that."
+
+"Well, that shows that whoever threw the bag on deck came from down
+stream! It shows, too, that we have been watched every minute, for
+reasons which we don't know anything about!"
+
+"Yes, in order to keep track of us they might have taken the railroad
+down the river bank and then taken a steamer up, so as to meet us on
+the way down! I see something in it now. But who is it?"
+
+"It may be Chet!" suggested Case. "He may have returned the bag just
+to show us that he knows about the removal of the diamonds."
+
+"I just believe Chet is out there somewhere, and that he would come on
+board if he knew we wouldn't raise a row about the way he left us!"
+declared Alex.
+
+"I give it all up!" Case returned. "It's your watch now, and I'm going
+to bed! If there's anything good to eat thrown on deck out of the
+darkness, just wake me up, otherwise let me alone. I'll hunt up my
+dream book to-morrow and find what it says about leather bags dropping
+out of the sky!"
+
+Alex. sat alone in the dim night, watching the river and the dark
+bottom lands of the island for a long time before anything attracted
+his attention. Then a light, like that made by a camp-fire, sprang up
+on the Mississippi side of the river.
+
+He could see figures moving about in front of the blaze, but of course
+could not distinguish faces. Presently the low, weird chant of a
+plantation song came over the waters. It was evident that a gang of
+negroes, possibly railroad repair men, was passing the night in camp
+on the shore.
+
+As Alex. listened to the plaintive songs he heard a splash in the
+water at the side of the boat, and shot his light in that direction. A
+stick was floating away, and the boy concluded that it was that which
+had made the noise he had heard.
+
+He heard the negroes come to the bank of the river to gather driftwood
+for the fire, and heard their drawling voices saying something of the
+river going down fast, but could not catch the full import of their
+words.
+
+The companionship of the fire and the voices was something to the boy,
+and he sat until daylight began to show in perfect contentment. Then
+he went into the cabin to get a line, it being his idea to surprise
+the boys with a fish breakfast.
+
+He looked at the sleeping faces for a moment and started when he came
+to a rug in the corner where Mose usually slept! Captain Joe was
+there, his nose in his paws, but Mose was not there! Alex. searched
+the boat. The negro boy was gone! The amazed boy half pulled Clay out
+of his bunk and began the story of the night.
+
+"We're not yet out of the enchanted land," he said. "We are still
+seeing things! The leather bag comes back out of the sky, and Mose
+goes up in the air. I'm for getting down to the Gulf right soon."
+
+"Have you looked in the bag for any solution of the puzzle?" asked
+Clay. "There may be a note of some kind there: a note of explanation.
+See?"
+
+"Yes," declared Alex., pointing over the side, and not answering the
+question about the bag, "I see that we are stuck in the mud, and not
+likely to get out until another flood, a year, or perhaps two years,
+off."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+GETTING OUT OF THE MUD
+
+
+Clay's face plainly expressed the dismay he felt as he bent over the
+gunwale and looked downward in the growing light of the morning. The
+_Rambler_ lay in a bed of soft, oozy mud, with harder ground between
+her and the "tow-head."
+
+"I presume," Alex. said, "that the people of this country will be glad
+to see that the river lowered in the night! So are we?"
+
+"We ought to have provided against this," Clay exclaimed, in
+self-reproach. "We might just as well have anchored a few yards
+farther down. What next, I wonder?"
+
+"The longer we wait before getting the motor boat into the water,"
+Alex. said, "the harder work it will be, for the river is lowering
+every minute."
+
+Clay scratched his head and estimated the distance to deep water.
+
+"We'll have to put on our bathing suits and take to the mud," he
+decided. "By all taking hold, we may be able to get her out of this
+mess. Nice job it is, too!"
+
+"Sure!" Alex. grinned. "Mud baths are healthful! There's Mike Cogan,
+the Chicago politician, he goes to take mud baths twice a year! If we
+had him here now we wouldn't charge him a cent for his cure! I think
+he'd like it, too."
+
+"I'll wake Case and Jule, and we'll get right at it," Clay said. "I
+wish a lot of husky plantation hands would happen along in a shanty
+boat."
+
+"There was a group of them over on the Mississippi side last night,"
+Alex. explained. "We might get them, if they are there yet. Say," he
+continued, with a grin, "I believe that is where the little coon went!
+He saw the camp-fire and heard the plantation songs, and couldn't
+remain away from his own people!"
+
+"In that case," Clay suggested, "the little rascal will be back soon."
+
+"Never can tell about boys of the Mose stripe," Alex. predicted. "He
+may follow the men off and never show up here again."
+
+Clay started for the cabin to arouse Case and Jule and then turned
+back to ask:
+
+"Did that pocket book--the bag, rather, that had the diamonds in, make
+its appearance before or after Mose disappeared?"
+
+"I don't know when Mose lit out," was the reply. "At one time I heard
+a splash in the river and looked to see what it was about, but Mose
+was not in sight then. There was only a large stick floating in the
+stream. Still, he might have gone at that time. If he did, he left
+long after the bag was thrown on deck. What about it?"
+
+"I was thinking that he might have followed off the person who threw
+the bag," Clay explained, "though I can't understand why he should
+have gone away so secretly. Did the dog make any remarks about the
+time the bag reached the deck?"
+
+"Nix on Captain Joe! He's getting too sleepy! He stirred only once in
+the night, and that was when the boat was coming up to us. He
+frightened the pirates away, when Case and I had planned to shoot 'em
+up!"
+
+"Then," concluded Clay, "when we reach the truth of it, we'll discover
+that it was Chet who was around here last night, and who threw the bag
+on deck. You know we have been thinking, all along, that he might have
+taken it."
+
+"That's what Jule insists on," Alex. returned, "while the rest of us
+think one of the visitors took it, and that Chet chased off the boat
+to get it back, not knowing that the diamonds had been taken out of
+it."
+
+"It seems clear now," Clay replied, "that Chet took it. In the first
+place, there is no good reason for supposing that the visitors would
+find the bag, or take it if they did find it; or take any trouble to
+return it after they had found its contents of no value. Chet got it,
+all right, and, disappointed and chagrined at the substitution we had
+made, he lost no time in throwing it back at us."
+
+"Chet was broke, wasn't he?" asked Alex., with a sly grin.
+
+"So far as I know, yes. Anyway, he didn't look like a millionaire when
+we took him on board and fixed him out with a suit of your clothes!"
+
+"Then how would he ride up the river in a steamer, or ride down the
+river to the next town to take the steamer, or hire a rowboat and pay
+the captain of the steamer for letting him off in his boat as soon as
+he saw the light of the _Rambler_?"
+
+"You smash all my solutions," laughed Clay. "Now, give me one of your
+own, so I can smash that,"
+
+"I ain't no prophet!" grinned the red-headed boy, "but I'm gambling
+that when we get down to the bottom of matters we'll find Red, the
+Robber, in the mess!"
+
+"We have already found him in the mess," laughed Clay. "He knew,
+according to your story, that I had put something in the safety
+vaults! Besides, he seemed to own the steamer you were on, didn't he?"
+
+"He seemed to be the boss."
+
+"Suppose we quit guessing and get the _Rambler_ out of the mud,"
+suggested Clay, then.
+
+Case and Jule were called out on deck, and the lads, clad only in
+their bathing suits, were soon wallowing in the soft mud, which was so
+deep that they could get no footing at all, and so could not lift on
+the boat. In fact, the more they tried to lift the boat, to slide it
+toward deep water, the deeper she seemed to sink.
+
+"We're up against a beautiful proposition!" Jule exclaimed, climbing
+back on deck and leaning over the gunwale. "If we jar the boat any
+more, we'll have to take a trip to China and pull it through from the
+other side!"
+
+Clay plowed out of the mud and made his way to the "tow-head" where he
+began examining the growth of willows. He seemed satisfied with what
+he saw, for he began cutting the long wands and called to the others
+to join him.
+
+"What's doing?" asked Case.
+
+"This ain't no island improvement corporation!" Alex. grinned.
+
+"I know what he's up to!" Jule shouted, and in a second he was off the
+deck, cutting willows and throwing them into a heap at the edge of the
+hard ground.
+
+"We've got to make mattresses of these willows," Jule declared, wiping
+the sweat from his face. "I read about that in a paper not long ago."
+
+"To sleep on?" asked Alex., with a wink at Case.
+
+"Silly!" roared Jule. "Get busy, both of you."
+
+When a great stack of the willow wands had been cut, Clay and Jule
+began roughly braiding them together. In this way two mattresses a
+foot in thickness and nearly twelve feet square were constructed
+before noon. During all this time the boys had seen nothing of Chet,
+of Mose, or of the negroes who had camped on the shore the previous
+night. They had also overlooked breakfast!
+
+The novelty of their employment had so engaged their attention that
+they felt no need of food until Teddy appeared on the deck sitting up
+like a man, begging for his breakfast! Then Alex. threw down the wands
+he was carrying to Clay, who was doing the weaving at that time, and
+sprang over to the boat with a chuckle of amusement.
+
+"You're all right, Teddy Bear!" he cried. "We don't know enough to eat
+when we're hungry, do we? We'll show 'em what it is to feed up right
+without delay."
+
+"What you going to get for dinner?" demanded Jule, putting a hand to
+his stomach to show how empty it was. "I want a whale fried whole!"
+
+"Get your whale, then," advised Alex.
+
+"Perhaps you think I can't!" laughed Jule. "Pass out my line and rod
+and I'll show you whether I'm a fisherman or not!"
+
+Alex. did as requested and Jule waded through the mud to where there
+was a bit of hard ground, next the island, with a little swirl of
+water close by.
+
+"Watch me now!" he cried.
+
+But the boys did not care to watch him. Case and Clay continued the
+work of braiding mattresses, and Alex. got out a gun and sat on deck
+watching for ducks, of which there were plenty in that vicinity.
+Presently a yell from Jule called the attention of the others to him.
+He was fighting a fish which seemed to the astonished boys to be not
+less than ten feet in length, and the fish was pulling him down
+stream.
+
+"Give me a hand!" the boy shouted. "He's pulling me in!"
+
+"Let go the line!" cried Alex.
+
+"And lose it!" answered Jule. "Not much! Give me a hand!"
+
+Case and Clay both rushed to the boy's assistance, and with great
+effort a monster fish was landed in the mud. Jule was jubilant.
+
+"The biggest catch of the trip!" he declared. "Who says I can't
+produce a whale when I feel the need of a whole one fried?"
+
+Case and Clay leaned back and screamed with amusement. Alex. looked on
+with a grin which was more provoking than the laughter of the others.
+
+"Have all the fun you can," roared Jule, "but don't get gay!"
+
+"Throw him back into the river!" Clay advised, poking at the catch.
+"That is just a big catfish, and no one eats them save the negroes!
+They're tougher than the tripe at Bill's restaurant, in Chicago!"
+
+"I guess you won't throw him away!" yelled Jule.
+
+"All right!" Clay answered. "Take him to bed with you, if you want to,
+but kindly see if you can't get a bass for our dinner. There are
+plenty of them in here."
+
+Reluctantly Jule started the catfish back toward his natural element,
+and the big fellow seemed to thank him with a parting wave of his tail
+as he took to the water. In a few moments he had a fine large bass,
+weighing six or eight pounds, and before long Alex. had a couple of
+ducks, so work was suspended while dinner was cooked and eaten. After
+the meal the work was continued until Case declared there were enough
+willow mattresses on hand to float a city.
+
+Then the mattresses were hauled alongside the _Rambler_ and a
+considerable part of the cargo of the boat was put out on them. Thus
+lightened, and having a strong footing, the lads had no difficulty in
+pushing the _Rambler_ out into deep water.
+
+"What shall we do with the mattresses now?" asked Clay, as the boat
+swung off the bottom. "We have spent too much time on them to throw
+them away!"
+
+"Tow them along," advised Case. "It won't cost us anything to tote
+them along, and we may have use for them. A man could build a tent on
+them, by fastening them together, and live there. I'm strong for
+taking them with us."
+
+This was finally agreed to, and the boys were about to start down the
+stream again when a shout from the Mississippi side of the river
+attracted their attention.
+
+"There's that little coon!" laughed Case. "See the rascal! He's going
+to swim to the boat, or going to try to!"
+
+"He never can do it," Clay declared. "We'll have to swing the
+_Rambler_ over that way and pick him up. He's making a swift run,
+though!"
+
+"Well," Alex. replied, "just you look behind him and see what he's
+running from."
+
+Half a dozen negroes and one white man were now seen running down the
+river bank in pursuit of Mose. They seemed to redouble their exertions
+when the _Rambler_ shot over toward the boy, but were obliged to halt
+when the boy was picked up and the boat went on down stream, towing
+the willow mattresses in her wake!
+
+Mose dropped down on deck, panting and rolling his eyes.
+
+"Ah'm scared white!" he chattered. "Fo' de Lawd, dat's de man what
+trun dis coon an' Captain Joe into the ribber up no'th! Ah's scared of
+him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+SWEPT INTO A SWAMP
+
+
+"Who threw you and Captain Joe into the river, up north?" demanded
+Jule. "Wake up and tell us what's the matter with you. What were those
+people chasing you for?"
+
+Mose only sat up on deck and rolled his eyes as the _Rambler_
+increased the distance between the pursuers and himself. Seeing that
+he was now beyond their reach, he arose and leaned over the gunwale
+and made funny insulting faces at them.
+
+"What does he mean?" asked Jule, turning to Clay. "Who's chasing him?"
+
+"Don't you remember how Sam, the Robber, the fellow who, with Red,
+captured the _Rambler_ in the bayou, threw the boy and the dog out,
+and how they lay in the grounds at the old house until dusk and then
+came to your rescue?" asked Clay. "You must have a poor memory, I
+think."
+
+"I didn't know whether it was Red or Sam who threw him in," Jule
+explained.
+
+"So that's Sam over there with the negroes?" questioned Alex. "What
+did you do to them, Mose? Where did you go last night? What do you
+mean by forming an exploring expedition all by yourself and having all
+the fun?"
+
+"Ah went 'shore to hear de singin'," the boy replied, "an' dey cotch
+me stealin' de yaller leg chicken, an' say de's goin' to beat dis coon
+up plenty!"
+
+"You swam all that way to steal a chicken?" asked Jule. "Was it
+cooked?"
+
+"Yaller leg chicken!" insisted the boy.
+
+"Was it cooked?" persisted Jule. "Where did they get it?"
+
+"Dey say it done lef' de roos' an' follow dem into camp!"
+
+"Did you eat a whole one?" asked Case. "A whole yellow-legged
+chicken?"
+
+Mose grinned and showed the whites of his eyes.
+
+"Ah shore did!" he replied, and Jule declared that he would willingly
+have helped him do it if he had only known about it!
+
+"What were they talking about last night?" asked Clay, as the
+_Rambler_ turned a bend and lost sight of the negroes and Sam, still
+gesticulating fiercely, on the east shore.
+
+"They're sho' goin' to get you-all!" was the reply. "They goin' to
+steal dis boat, first thing you know. Ah'm scart ob dat white man!"
+
+The little fellow could tell very little of the talk he had heard
+while detained in the negro camp. He knew that Sam, the Robber, was
+there with the negroes, and that he was continually urging them to
+help him secure the _Rambler_, but that was all. Of their plans he
+knew nothing but this.
+
+During the afternoon the boys passed a great many steamers, going up
+the river, some with supplies for those who had been made homeless by
+the flood. Fortunately the levees had held, but the water had filled
+in back of them, in some instances and destroyed much property. The
+lagoons and swamps up river were still flooded, and in places farming
+land was still being washed away.
+
+All the way down, until night closed in, they saw gangs of negroes on
+the levees, fishing drift wood out of the water. In some instances
+small out-houses were brought out in good condition. One shanty boat
+the boys saw had the cupola of a house set up on the prow, and a farm
+bell in the top of it was ringing as the raft bobbed in the currents
+of the river. Now and then families were seen gathered on the levees,
+evidently waiting for a steamer to take them off.
+
+The boys kept up good speed until night and then tied up in a small
+cove on the lower side of an island, not far from the Mississippi
+side.
+
+"We have been going pretty fast," Clay observed, as the boat was
+worked in behind a point so as to be out of the wash of the steamers.
+"We haven't a thing to do until we get back to Chicago, and we can
+take all the time we want getting back. How is that for a peaceful
+life, Mose?" he added, turning to the little negro boy.
+
+Mose showed a mouthful of white teeth and a pair of chalk-white
+eyeballs.
+
+"It takes a corkscrew to get conversation out of Mose!" Jule observed.
+
+"I think I can make him talk," laughed Alex. "Mose," he went on, "I'll
+give you a plate of honey for supper if you'll tell me where Chet is
+and who threw the leather bag on deck last night?"
+
+"Some one fro' what?" asked the little fellow.
+
+"Some one threw this on the boat in the night," Alex. answered,
+handing the bag to the boy. "Did you hear any one around before you
+left?"
+
+The negro boy rolled his eyes for a minute then took the bag and held
+it under the nose of Captain Joe, who sniffed at it for a second and
+then walked back to the place in the cabin where Chet had slept.
+
+"De dawg sho' know who fro' dat bag!" he said, patting Captain Joe on
+the head.
+
+"That shows why the dog didn't make a row when the person who threw it
+got close enough to the boat to heave it on deck!" Jule laughed.
+
+"It takes a little coon to find out things about animals!" grinned
+Alex. "Here we've been studying over who tossed the bag, and Mose
+settles the question in a minute. That is sure some coon!"
+
+"There's an affinity between a boy and a dog, anyway!" Clay laughed.
+
+"I wonder if the kid is right?" Case questioned.
+
+The boys discussed the matter during supper, and, right or wrong, Mose
+was given his plate of honey, which he was obliged to divide with
+Teddy!
+
+The night passed away without incident, and early morning found the
+_Rambler_ on her way to the Gulf again. The day was not different from
+other days for a week. The boys passed plantations and villages,
+swamps and lagoons, which seemed to have escaped the force of the
+flood, but now and then came to a wrecked cabin toppling from a bank.
+
+They secured a supply of gasoline at a small place near the Arkansas
+line and at night found themselves in the heart of a desolate country.
+When they tied up they were at the mouth of a lagoon which seemed to
+lead into a great swamp.
+
+"It is a sure thing that no leather bags will be thrown on deck
+to-night," Clay observed, as supper was prepared. "We are even off the
+track of the steamers, for they seem to stick to the opposite side of
+the stream."
+
+"This would be a dandy spot for a band of river pirates to inhabit,"
+Jule added.
+
+"Don't talk about pirates!" admonished Clay. "You'll have Mose turning
+white again. Some day he'll turn so white with fright that he will
+never turn black again, and he wouldn't like that, would you, Mose?"
+
+"Ah's 'tented wif mah color," answered the boy.
+
+"That's all right, as long as you are on the boat," Alex. put in, "but
+you jump into the lagoon and see how long you'll last. An alligator
+will leave a fat pig any time to make a dinner off a black boy!"
+
+"Quit scaring the boy!" exclaimed Case. "First thing you know, he will
+be afraid to swim ashore to steal a yellow-legged chicken roasted by
+tramps!"
+
+When darkness fell a soft wind came out of the west and a slow rain
+began falling. It was wild and uncanny outside, but bright and warm in
+the cabin. Alex. entertained his chums for a time with stories of the
+Mississippi, and explained how Grant had shortened the stream by
+cutting a new channel at Vicksburg, but all were tired, and by nine
+o'clock all were asleep save Jule, who was to stand guard that night,
+and Mose who was moving restlessly about.
+
+"Come on into the cabin, Mose," Jule finally ordered, "and go to bed,
+like a good coon! You'll get wet out on deck!"
+
+The boy entered the cabin and sat down near the stove, in which a
+small fire was burning. Jule regarded him attentively.
+
+"What's the matter with you to-night?" he finally asked.
+
+"Ah hear a roar!" was the reply.
+
+"That's the wind in the cypress trees," Jule explained.
+
+"Is it de win' makes de ribber come up?" asked Mose, in a moment.
+
+"Is the river rising?" asked Jule, going to the door and switching on
+the prow light. "It ought to be running down."
+
+By the light of the electric the boy saw that the river was indeed
+rising. Little knolls which were above water when the boat had been
+anchored were now under a swift current. The river was sweeping past
+the mouth of the lagoon with a new force.
+
+Presently trees and wreckage of different sorts were seen drifting
+down, and there came a rushing sound which added greatly to the
+weirdness of the scene.
+
+"This beats me!" Jule muttered. "The flood has been going down for
+nearly a week. There must have been heavy rains up to the north, and
+at the sources of the rivers emptying into the Mississippi. I wonder
+if it will do anything to us?"
+
+At that moment a timber crashed against the _Rambler_, jarring it
+considerably.
+
+Clay and the others were out of their bunks in a minute, and out on
+deck to see what had taken place. Alex. was the first one to grasp the
+situation.
+
+"We'll have to turn on the motors to hold this boat," he said. "The
+anchor lies in the mud, and will pull away at the first push of a
+current. First thing we know, we'll be down there in a cypress swamp!"
+
+"You're excited!" Case called out. "We passed the flood two days ago."
+
+"That's the trouble," Alex. explained. "We passed the flood! The crest
+of it is still to the north of us. It has undoubtedly been raining up
+river, and that has swelled the volume of water."
+
+"Do you mean that we got down the river in advance of the flood?"
+demanded Case.
+
+"We have been going a little faster than the current, haven't we,
+notwithstanding our tying up nights?" Alex. asked. "This little boat
+has been going some! To-night the crest of the flood overtakes us.
+See?"
+
+"It doesn't look reasonable!" Case insisted. "I don't believe it!"
+
+"The kid is right," Clay declared. "I have often read about boats
+meeting the flood the second time, once when they passed it, and once
+when it caught up with them."
+
+The roaring sound which Mose had referred to now grew louder, sounding
+like the rush of a long and heavily loaded freight train.
+
+While the lads listened, hardly knowing what to do to protect
+themselves, Mose pointed a shaking hand at a spot far down the lagoon.
+Clay looked and saw a great blaze on what seemed a wooded knoll to the
+west of the river.
+
+"There's a camp down there!" he said.
+
+"That makes it nice!" grinned Alex. "No honest men ever made camp in
+that hole at this season of the year! It is dollars to tripe that if
+we don't put on power the crest of the flood will wash us down, when
+the full strength comes, and beach us among a band of river pirates!
+If we don't get under way up stream we'll have do to something to make
+the anchor hold!"
+
+While the boys were discussing some way of accomplishing this, for
+they did not like the idea of breasting the flood, the crest of the
+flood came seething down the stream, a wall of water four feet high!
+It swept over the point of land between the river and the bayou and
+dashed against the _Rambler_.
+
+The anchor held for a minute, then the boys knew that they were in
+motion. The current seemed stronger there than in the river itself.
+
+"The water is cutting a new channel below," Clay shouted, as the
+_Rambler_ was swept away, "and we are headed for that swamp. Now, we
+are in a peck of trouble!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+PILGRIMS FROM OLD CHICAGO
+
+
+The "peck of trouble" referred to as their portion by Clay turned out
+to be a full bushel, and good measure at that, in a very short time.
+Although the boys turned on the power--a thing they should have done
+long before--as soon as the crest of water came in sight, the
+_Rambler_ was pitched down toward the swamp like a chip.
+
+If the boys had been able to direct her course, they might have held
+her in the current, and so kept out of the muck hole into which she
+was swept when the water cut around a bend, driving straight on the
+shore. But just as the craft was getting under control a mass of limbs
+and cane-brake tangled her propellers, and she went down with the
+flood, striking, as has been said, in a swamp where the head of the
+bayou had been, and into which the water still poured.
+
+It was pitch dark out on the river and in the swamp, but the lights of
+the _Rambler_ cast a circle of illumination about the spot where she
+lay, so that the black, bubbling water, with all the unclean reptiles
+it was forcing forth from their haunts, was in full view. It was
+carrying wreckage now, and this was piling up between the current and
+the boat, shutting off all chances of backing out, even if the current
+would have permitted it. It was indeed a desperate situation.
+
+The motor boat had come to a stop against two monster cypress trees,
+between which she had wedged her nose. Only for this she might have
+been carried farther into the swamp, the water being deep for some
+distance ahead.
+
+During the whirling passage down the bayou, while the boat was bumping
+against tree trunks and bounding off with a jar and a swish to go
+swinging around again, like a foolish dancer doing the time limit,
+Mose had clung tightly to one of Clay's legs. At the very beginning of
+that mad race he had caught sight of a couple of alligators, and was
+in deadly fear that they would climb on board and make a meal of him!
+
+When the boat finally lodged between the giant trees, the little negro
+boy bounded from the deck and, seizing hold of a mass of vines,
+clambered up the tree to the west like a young monkey! Believing that
+he would have to help the others up, he carried a rope with him!
+Finally, sitting astride of a limb, he called down what he considered
+very good advice to the boys on the boat.
+
+"Dey done get yo', sho'!" he warned. "Catch on de rope an' shin up!"
+
+Serious as the situation was, with the water trinkling in over the
+stern of the motor boat, the boys grinned at each other at the fright
+of the boy.
+
+"Come on down!" Alex. called. "If the boat should break away from the
+trees, you would be left alone in the swamp. Come on down and help get
+the boat out of this blessed swamp! You may get out with your rope and
+tow her if you want to!" he added, with a chuckle.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd!" cried Mose, shuddering at the idea of getting into
+water inhabited by monsters who would leave a fat pig to feast off a
+black boy!
+
+At least that was what one of the boys had said to him!
+
+Attracted by the strange lights, walking and creeping things now began
+gathering in the shadows at the rim of the circle of light. Once Clay
+caught sight of the soft, appealing eyes of a deer, and now and then
+the howls of a swamp cat came to their ears above the roaring of the
+flood. Great water snakes struck their heads above the surface and
+looked, red-eyed, and hostile, at the boys.
+
+Swamp creatures with soft fur and frightened eyes crouched on fallen
+trees and scanned the deck as a possible refuge. To make the scene
+more desolate still, if possible, two round-eyed owls answered each
+other's cries from a near-by cypress.
+
+"Say," Jule whispered to Clay, during a little lull in the rain,
+"there's a man by that tree. I've been watching him a long time. Look
+at him!"
+
+Clay followed the line of the pointing finger and laughed.
+
+"Why, that's a bear!" he shouted. "A swamp bear--one of the kind Teddy
+Roosevelt came down here to shoot when he was president! Let him alone
+and he'll let us alone. They fight like devils when wounded or
+molested."
+
+The boys all agreed to let the bear alone, but Captain Joe and Teddy
+seemed to have notions of hospitality. The dog barked invitingly, and
+Teddy did a stunt of bear talk which brought the wanderer one tree
+nearer to the boat. He was now in the circle of light, and could get
+no nearer without swimming.
+
+"He sees Teddy and wants to ask his advice!" Jule laughed.
+
+At that moment Mose, noting that the boys were gazing fixedly in one
+direction, turned his eyes that way and saw the bear. The shriek he
+let out might, it seemed, have been heard in New Orleans, if the wind
+had been blowing in that direction!
+
+"Ah's a gone coon!" he wailed, after that one yell. "Ah's a goin' whar
+de good niggers go! Good bear! Good bear!" he added coaxingly.
+
+The bear looked upon the scene for a moment longer with disapproving
+eyes and then turned away. For a moment he was seen walking on jammed
+logs, alternately wading through shallow places, and then he was lost
+in the darkness.
+
+"There!" Alex. called out to Mose, "you've frightened our bear off!"
+
+"Dat yo' bear?" asked Mose. "Den yo' keep yo' animile out our ya'd!"
+
+Although frequently invited to return to the boat, Mose insisted on
+keeping his place in the tree. Now and then he called out that a bear
+or a deer was about to board the _Rambler_, but for the most part he
+sat still, looking about for more things to be frightened at!
+
+The _Rambler_ was now securely fastened in between the two trees,
+standing on a level, or floating on a level, rather. There was
+considerable water under the deck, it having worked its way down
+through the joints about the hatches, and the boys proceeded to lift
+all available covers and bail it out.
+
+"How are we ever going to get out of here?" asked Jule, working away
+with a basin and a sponge. "These trees will hold us forever."
+
+"We'll have to cut them down, Silly!" answered Case. "Just as soon as
+the water goes down, we'll crawl out on one of the mattresses and fix
+the propellers."
+
+"Mattresses!" answered Jule. "They drifted away long ago."
+
+"Look ahead and see," remarked Case, and Jule did so.
+
+The willow and brake mattresses which had been towed down stream were
+loose from the motor boat, but they were in sight, having lodged
+against the mud bank farther in the swamp. They could be reached, the
+boys figured, by a little wading after the flood subsided, which it
+was certain to do before long.
+
+"You see," Case went on, "the trees will hold the boat up, like it was
+in a dry dock, and we can fix the propellers and the leak and then
+chop down the trees and get out. Perhaps we can follow this channel
+out to the river. If there wasn't an opening somewhere, the current
+here wouldn't be so fierce!"
+
+"There may be a channel," Clay agreed, "but if there is it must be
+full of standing trees and hidden snags. If we ever get out of here,
+we'd better run back to the main channel, and keep out of such holes
+in future!"
+
+"There wouldn't be any fun in river trips," laughed Alex., swinging an
+axe at the head of a water snake which was trying to get up on the
+deck, "if it wasn't for the adventure there is in it! I wouldn't have
+missed this for anything!"
+
+With the last word of this endorsement of the situation on his lips
+Alex. took a header over the gunwale of the boat into the water! A
+great trunk had bunted the _Rambler_ on the port side, and she had
+tipped so as to knock the boy off his feet and over the railing before
+he could make up his mind what was coming off!
+
+"Wow!" cried Clay, as the boy came, spluttering to the surface.
+
+"You wouldn't miss this for anything!" roared Case.
+
+"Bring a couple of snakes and an alligator out with you!" requested
+Jule.
+
+Mose, sitting on the limb, high up in the tree, called down to the boy
+that a water snake was trying to get into his pocket, and that an
+alligator was nosing about his leg.
+
+Disregarding all comment and advice, Alex. crawled back on deck and
+sat looking wrathfully into the flood. But his anger did not last
+long.
+
+"If that log hadn't come along," he said, "I should have forgotten my
+bath. When it comes daylight, I'm going to get up a race with that
+alligator, with the snake as referee! Mose can enter if he wants to!"
+
+Mose shivered at the thought. He was now climbing higher. When near
+the top he gave another yell and hustled down to a lower limb, where
+he sat with his hands clinging tightly to the trunk.
+
+"Fo' de Lawd's sake!" he shrieked.
+
+"What is it now?" asked Jule. "If you don't come down I'll shoot you!"
+
+Mose pointed to the rim of the light zone and cried that the river
+robbers had come to get the boat. The boys looked where he pointed and
+saw three young men standing in a submerged grove of cypress trees.
+All were armed and all were bearded and forbidding in appearance. As
+the boys looked one stepped forward.
+
+"Just a second," Clay called. "That is near enough!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE DARKEY UP THE TREE
+
+
+While Case talked with the young man Clay went back into the cabin to
+talk with Alex., who was now changing into dry clothing.
+
+"Do you think the story that man is telling is all right?" he asked.
+
+"I think he is telling the truth about the river thieves," Alex.
+replied.
+
+"I was wondering if that wasn't just a bait to help them get on
+board."
+
+"It may be, but there are river robbers in this section. They told us
+that where we bought the gasoline. These may be the robbers, for all I
+know, but we ought to make sure of that before turning them down.
+They'll starve here, if they have lost their boat and provisions. Of
+course they can get wild game, but I don't see how they are going to
+cook it. We ought to give them a chance, anyway."
+
+Clay went back to the deck and listened to the conversation between
+Case and the visitor, who seemed a little annoyed at the doubting of
+his word.
+
+"Where did you live in Chicago?" he heard Case ask.
+
+"In furnished rooms on Elizabeth street, near Washington boulevard,"
+was the reply.
+
+"Where did you work?" was the next question, impertinent and personal,
+but seemingly necessary at that time.
+
+"At a machine shop on Clinton street, not far from West Madison.
+
+"Then you are machinists?"
+
+"Yes, all of us. Business is dull in our line just now, and we thought
+we'd make a hit with ourselves by spending a winter in the south."
+
+"When did you leave Chicago?"
+
+"We left Chicago last September," answered the man, turning toward the
+rail. "We expect to get back sometime during the next century, if all
+Chicago boys are as hospitable as you are! Now, with your permission,
+I'll go back to my friends."
+
+"How do you know we are from Chicago?" asked Clay, stepping forward.
+
+The other laughed lightly and pointed to the boat's name on articles
+scattered about.
+
+"But, aside from that," he said, "we'd know you anywhere. The Chicago
+newspapers carried a lot of feature stuff about your boat and your
+trips."
+
+"All right, stranger," one of the three answered, in rather a pleasant
+tone of voice. "Just as you say!"
+
+"What do you want?" asked Alex., still shivering from his cold bath.
+
+"We want a ride out of this consarned swamp," was the reply.
+
+"How did you get in here?" asked Clay. "Get out the way you got in!"
+he added.
+
+"Our shanty boat is smashed to flinders and our grub is gone,"
+complained the other. "It don't look as if we could walk out of here,
+does it?"
+
+"Was that your fire we saw?" asked Case, drawing closer to the
+gunwale.
+
+"We had a fire before the flood pounced down upon us," was the reply.
+
+"What shall we do?" asked Clay, facing the others. "If they are on the
+square we can't leave them here. They would starve!"
+
+"They may be pirates!" suggested Jule.
+
+"I don't believe it," Case declared. "They don't look the part.
+Besides, if they had designs on the boat, they could have picked us
+off in the darkness, and we'd never have known where the bullets came
+from. They're all right!"
+
+"One of you come aboard," Clay instructed, "and we'll see what you
+look like."
+
+In plain view of the boys the man who had done the talking handed his
+gun to a companion and struck out for the boat, walking on logs part
+of the way, wading part of the way, and swimming when he could do
+neither. In a moment he was on deck.
+
+"The three of us," he explained, "were out of work at Chicago. We had
+a little cash, and decided to come down here and spend the winter
+where we wouldn't have room-rent or restaurant bills to pay. We
+thought we could cut and market enough fish-poles out of the brake
+swamps to pay our way back in the spring."
+
+"That wasn't a bad idea!" Jule declared.
+
+"We were getting along all right," the other went on, "until the river
+thieves began troubling us. They stole our food, and at last began
+stealing our poles. We were getting ready to go out when the flood
+smashed our shanty boat into smithereens. Now we are up against it,
+unless you take us with you. And," he added, with a quick glance
+around, "you'd better take us on board, for the thieves are back there
+in the swamp, with their envious eyes fixed on this boat. They are
+mostly negroes, and escaped convicts."
+
+"You ought to know that we've got to be careful," Clay said, as the
+man was about to leave the boat. "We don't know anything about you,
+except what you have told us, but we're going to take a chance on you.
+Tell your friends to come on board."
+
+In five minutes the three were in the cabin, trying on some of Clay's
+clothes, for their own were not only wet but they oozed black muck.
+When they were dressed again they passed their revolvers over to Clay,
+with the statement that they wouldn't need them unless the river
+pirates took a hand in the game that night.
+
+"Have the ruffians been here long?" asked Clay.
+
+"About a month ago," was the reply, "a lot of negroes broke away from
+a convict camp off to the west somewhere. They came into this swamp
+and built a camp on a knoll, which must, by the way, be under water
+now. They are murderers, housebreakers and sneak thieves of the most
+desperate kind. We tried to make friends with them, but it was of no
+use. They think their camp is unknown, and so object to our getting
+out and telling where it is. I half believe they will try to keep you
+from getting out for the same reason."
+
+"If it is all the same to you boys," another of the visitors said,
+"we'd like something to eat. We were half starved when we came on
+board. I think I can catch a fish or shoot a duck, so our supper won't
+cost you anything only the bother of having us around. What do you
+say? Do we eat?"
+
+"I should say so!" cried Alex., sticking his head out of the cabin,
+"and when you are out after game get enough for me a little lunch. I
+haven't had anything to eat since dark!"
+
+"Is that rowboat at the side all right?" asked the visitor, pointing
+to the boat which had been found up the river. "If it is, I'll get a
+little ways from the motor boat, in the shadows, and see what I can do
+getting ducks."
+
+"The boat is all right," Alex. answered, "and I'll go with you. I'm
+beginning to feel the lack of adventure. I get awfully tired of this
+monotony sometimes!"
+
+They all laughed at the idea of there being any monotony in the
+situation, there in the swamp, with the river roaring around them and
+the watchful thieves in the thicket, and Alex. seemed quite annoyed at
+the thought that they regarded his remark as a joke.
+
+"Perhaps something will happen before you get back," Clay grinned.
+
+"The boat may smash," said Jule, cheerfully. "It has been banged about
+quite a lot since we got it. Or you may find some of the robbers.
+There's no knowing what streak of good luck you may get into!"
+
+"I'm not looking for any good luck of that kind!" the visitor said, as
+he drew the rowboat around and clambered into it. "I've had all the
+cheerful incidents of that character I care to have. When I get back
+to Chicago, I'm going to get a room next to the Desplaines street
+police station and go to bed at seven o'clock every night."
+
+"What's your name?" asked Alex., abruptly as he pushed off from the
+_Rambler_.
+
+"Gregg Holder," was the reply. "I'm just Gregg to all my friends, but
+I'm Bully Gregg on South Halstead street. The others are Eddie Butler
+and Hank Quinn."
+
+"That settles it!" grinned Alex. "I'm going back."
+
+"What for?" asked Gregg, in surprise. "Don't you want a duck or a
+fish?"
+
+"Sure I do," was the reply, "but I'm afraid! You're the man that
+fought Murphy to a draw? What? And Eddie Butler is the boy that bested
+Murray!"
+
+"You've got that right, kid," was the reply. "We've all been in the
+prize ring, but we're no slum toughs. If you think the bears and
+snakes and robbers are better company than we are," he added, "we'll
+get out of your boat!"
+
+"You're just the lads to give the pirates a good drubbing!" Alex.
+laughed, "and so we'll ask you to remain with us and learn something
+of the rules of polite society! Let me take one oar, unless you want
+to keep on going round in a circle!"
+
+"There's something pulling on the boat," Gregg said. "I can't keep it
+on a straight line. See if you can find out what has tangled us."
+
+Alex. turned on his searchlight and cast its rays on the water ahead.
+Then he dropped his light in the bottom of the boat and stuck his
+hands out straight. Gregg looked up as the light fell, then dropped
+the oars and stuck his hands out straight!
+
+"This is the adventure you wanted!" Gregg said, as half a dozen
+negroes showed on a hummock only a few feet away. "We're held up by
+the river thieves!"
+
+"What do you fellows want?" Alex. demanded, looking straight into the
+muzzle of a gun that seemed to have a bore as large as the Hudson
+river tunnel.
+
+"We want that boat, so we can get on board the motor contraption,"
+said a voice.
+
+"That's no negro!" whispered Alex. "It is a white man blacked up!"
+
+"Right you are!" replied Gregg.
+
+"What are you boys talking about?" demanded the holder of the
+threatening gun.
+
+"We were telling each other how glad we were to meet you!" Alex.
+snarled.
+
+"You're a nervy kid, anyhow," said the other. "Push the boat up here,
+so we can get in. We were raised as pets, and don't want to get wet."
+
+There was nothing to do but obey instructions. They knew the desperate
+character of the men they were facing. If they followed orders and
+waited for an opportunity to turn the tables on their captors, they
+might get out of the mess with whole skins, but if they forced a fight
+there and then there would be little hope for them. When there were
+four of the pirates in the boat, crouching down under the gunwales,
+who made the fifth, the spokesman gave his orders.
+
+"Now you boys row back. When we get close up I'll show myself and put
+the whole party under cover. See? My men will also have their guns,
+and if you disobey instructions in the slightest particular, you'll be
+shot in the back."
+
+"That's where you like to shoot, I take it!" growled Gregg. "If I had
+one of you out on the bank I'd break him in two pieces and feed him to
+the snakes."
+
+"Cuss if you want to!" commented the robber. "We can settle all that
+after a time. Just now, get over to that boat, and call out that
+you've found another castaway in the swamp! We'll be on board before
+they can say a word."
+
+This looked like turning the _Rambler_ over to thieves, but there was
+no way in which the boys could reverse conditions just then, so they
+rowed toward the motor boat, calling out that they had found a sick
+man in the jungle. The robber prodded them with the muzzle of his gun
+when they did not give the right inflection to their voices.
+
+When the boat entered the circle of light the boys on board the
+_Rambler_ were all leaning over the gunwale, looking for the boys and
+the rescued individual. There were no weapons in sight, and Alex.
+feared that all the revolvers were stowed away in the cabin, and that
+the _Rambler_ would be taken without a shot being fired in her
+defense.
+
+When the boat touched the hull of the _Rambler_ the robber sprang to
+his feet, presenting two long guns as he did so.
+
+"I'll empty these guns into the crowd of you," he said, in a low, even
+voice, "if there is one move on deck. We are coming aboard, and the
+better you use us the better we shall use you. Just sit still, boys,"
+he added, addressing his men, "until I get on deck."
+
+He was lithe and strong, and was on the deck in an instant, without
+opposition, his guns threatening the amazed boys and their visitors.
+Captain Joe gave forth a volley of ugly growls, and would have
+attacked the man, but Clay ordered him back.
+
+"Never mind the dog," he said. "He won't bite!"
+
+"If he does, he'll get a chance to bite lead!" the robber exclaimed.
+"Now, men," he went on, "climb up into the boat. Leave the rowers
+where they are."
+
+Four husky negroes, all with traces of whisky in their breath, began
+climbing over Alex. and Gregg to reach the motor boat. As they were
+steadying the rocking craft, they carried no weapons in their hands.
+
+Then something happened which was as much of a surprise to the boys as
+it was to the men who were trying to capture the _Rambler_!
+
+A rope with a wide noose at one end came whirling out of the sky and
+fell over the robber's head, resting for an instant in a neat coil on
+his shoulders!
+
+He clutched his weapons closer and looked up. Then the line tightened
+about his muscular neck until his feet left the deck and his face grew
+red with the blood of strangulation, then grew white. The revolvers
+clattered to the floor, and the man's figure toppled and fell as the
+rope slacked.
+
+When this strange thing happened, Alex. and Gregg were bending their
+heads down to permit the negroes to clamber over them. Still they saw
+the rope fall, saw the man gasp as it closed about his neck, and felt
+the negroes springing back in dismay.
+
+Then they arose with their heavy oars in their hands and struck
+slashing, crunching blows at the heads below them! One negro lifted an
+arm to shoot, but it fell with the bones of the shoulder crushed to
+pulp. One by one they dropped out of the boat, some with broken arms,
+some with broken heads. After they had all disappeared, either under
+the surface of the lagoon or into the darkness of the swamp, a shrill
+voice came from the tree where Mose had taken refuge from the snakes
+and the alligators:
+
+"Go on, white folks," it said, "Ah goin' hang dis immitation coon up
+on dis tree!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+DODGING A POLICE BOAT
+
+
+"You little coon!" Clay gasped.
+
+"Hurrah for Mose!" cried Alex.
+
+"If you'll come down here I'll hug you!" shouted Gregg.
+
+"How did you ever think of it?" Case called out.
+
+Mose, now the happiest little negro boy in the United States, sat
+astride of his limb and grinned until it seemed that the top of his
+head would drop off backward!
+
+In the meantime, the river pirate had remained unnoticed on the deck,
+the rope so deftly dropped by Mose still around his neck. Case finally
+bent over him.
+
+"Why!" he exclaimed, shrinking back. "The man is dead!"
+
+"Dead!" echoed Clay. "What killed him?"
+
+Then they all bent over the still figure for a closer examination.
+Just as Case had declared, the robber was dead. His neck had been
+broken by the rope when Mose had drawn him off his feet! Alex. looked
+up at the boy.
+
+"You must have a good pull in your arms!" he cried. "How did you
+manage to swing him up? You're a wonder, Mose!"
+
+Mose only grinned in reply, but Clay explained the matter by saying
+that the boy had thrown the rope over a limb higher up and used that
+as a pulley.
+
+"Still," he added, "it took a lot of muscle to jerk that heavy man off
+his feet. I didn't think the boy had it in him."
+
+Then came the question as to what disposition should be made of the
+body. There was no hard ground near at hand so that a decent grave
+could be prepared. There were marshy knolls, it is true, but any
+excavation made there would instantly fill with water.
+
+"Well," Gregg said, "the best we can do is to bury him in the water. I
+don't mean in the lagoon or in the river, but in a grave which will
+fill with water. There he will at least be out of the reach of
+reptiles and wild animals when the water subsides."
+
+"But how are we ever going to get out there and dig a grave?" asked
+Jule, who was not inclined to waste much effort on the body of a man
+who, in life, would have robbed, perhaps murdered, them!
+
+"With your permission," Gregg said, "we'll take the body out and bury
+it. I haven't much use for men of his type, but he's dead, and that
+settles all accounts!"
+
+"We may be able to get a couple of birds for supper while we are
+away," suggested Eddie Butler. "We have been so busy lately, that we
+haven't eaten, or provided anything to eat! I'm empty clear to my
+toes!"
+
+"And I'll catch a fish off the boat!" Jule volunteered. "I saw some
+big ones jumping up not long ago! They've been driven out of their
+nests by the flood."
+
+So Gregg and his friends went away in the rowboat to bury the outlaw
+and get a couple of ducks for supper, while Jule and Alex. angled over
+the stern of the boat for a fish. The first rush of the flood was
+past, but the water was still high. There was a strong current rushing
+past the stern of the _Rambler_, and this indicated that there must be
+a channel open to the main river not far below.
+
+The boys caught a great catfish and two awkward-looking buffalo-fish
+and turned them loose in the stream before they succeeded in getting
+anything they wanted for supper. Then they caught a dozen perch of
+good size and proceeded to clean them.
+
+By the time the fish were ready for the pan Gregg and his friends were
+back from their expedition with half a dozen fat ducks, already
+dressed.
+
+"We'll have some for breakfast, and some for dinner!" Eddie declared.
+"I feel now as if I'd never get enough to fill me up again!"
+
+Something long and twisting dropped on the man's shoulders and fell
+off to the deck.
+
+"Holy smoke!" he shouted. "Look at the snake!"
+
+A shout from up the tree told of the trick Mose had played on the man,
+and the rope was coiled away. In a short time Mose came sliding down
+the trunk.
+
+"He smells supper!" explained Clay. "I've a notion to set Captain Joe
+on him!"
+
+"Dat dog don't bite dis coon!" Mose replied. "Ah'm in lub wid dat
+dog!"
+
+Captain Joe and Teddy came forward and looked the three visitors over
+approvingly.
+
+"That bear would make a good meal!" Gregg declared, with a wink at
+Case.
+
+Mose's eyes stuck out for a minute, and then he tickled his own chin
+and gave out a sound like a goat.
+
+"B-a-a-a-a-a-a! B-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!" he bleated.
+
+"What's the matter with the coon?" asked Gregg, with a look of
+surprise.
+
+"He's telling us to get wise to the alfalfa!" Jule cut in. "Alex.
+don't know how to translate so white men can understand."
+
+"You'll both wash dishes for a month!" roared Clay, doubled over with
+laughter. "We make that a penalty for talking slang," he explained,
+turning to Gregg.
+
+"But I don't understand yet," the other went on. "What is the matter
+with the boy? Has he turned himself into a billy goat?"
+
+"He's suggesting that you mow the lawn!" Case explained. "He doesn't
+like the fire-escapes!"
+
+Clay roared and pointed to the beards worn by the three, and then they
+understood and joined in the laugh until the swamp echoed back the
+sounds.
+
+"You'll all have to wash dishes, I take it!" Gregg declared.
+
+"That's about the way it usually turns out, when one starts talking
+slang," Clay explained. "We're all so full of it that it just bubbles
+out."
+
+"It is fine that we have something to be jolly over," Gregg hastened
+to say, "for the prospects of getting out of here are not alluring."
+
+"Wouldn't be no fun if everything went right!" Alex. insisted. "We
+have the most sport when we're lost, or stolen, or strayed away. Now,
+you watch me cook these ducks."
+
+The boy got out a baking pan standing on three short legs. The bottom
+was double so as to prevent burning. Then he put two fat ducks inside,
+secured the cover, and removed what seemed to Gregg to be the whole
+top of the stove.
+
+The short legs of the pan rested on the red-hot coals in the firebox,
+while the cover was always within reach. As soon as the ducks, which
+had previously been hastily parboiled, began to simmer and send forth
+appetizing odors, the boy watched them every minute, turning and
+basting until they were a beautiful golden brown.
+
+In the meantime coffee had been made and the fish fried on the
+electric coil.
+
+"I presume you'll want hot biscuits for supper, too?" asked Clay.
+
+The visitors were too busy with the game to do more than shake their
+heads.
+
+"We usually have three kinds of meat, fish, baked potatoes, pancakes,
+light bread, pie, honey, and three or four vegetables on the side,"
+Alex. explained, with a wink at Mose, who sat in a corner next to the
+deck with Joe and Teddy watching the meat disappearing from a
+"drumstick" he was busily engaged on.
+
+"An' possum pie!" the little negro boy added, licking his chops.
+
+"Sure! I forgot the possum pie!" Alex. declared. "Excuse me!"
+
+"Certainly!" laughed Gregg, "and we'll excuse you, too, for all future
+products of the imagination! The twenty course dinners at the La Salle
+haven't got anything on this little banquet! For my part, I don't care
+whether we ever get out of here, now, or not."
+
+"Some day," Alex. observed, "I'll show you how to cook a steak a la
+brigand! After you eat one of them you'll go hungry for a week before
+you'll touch anything else!"
+
+"You may lead me to one of them any time you see fit!" Eddie laughed.
+
+The river was still roaring and foaming about the _Rambler_, caught in
+the narrow space between the two cypress trees. Just where the boat
+lay the current turned away to the east, that is the current of the
+lagoon. The Mississippi was, of course, across the inundated spit of
+land which lay on the west shore of the river and on the east side of
+the bayou or lagoon.
+
+Just as the boys finished their somewhat delayed supper the lights of
+a steamer showed up the stream. It passed the mouth of the bayou and
+hugged the opposite shore of the Mississippi for a time, then headed
+for the west shore.
+
+"That's strange!" Case exclaimed. "She sees our lights, but what is
+she coming over to this side for?"
+
+The mystery became more of a mystery still when, reaching the west
+side, the steamer turned prow up stream and started to breast the
+flood, still carrying great masses of wreckage down stream. She made
+her way up to the mouth of the bayou and stopped, her propellers going
+just fast enough to keep from dropping back.
+
+"If I'm not mistaken," Gregg suggested, "that is a boat carrying
+officers on a hunt for the escaped convicts. Can't we get out of here
+before they reach us?"
+
+"Why should we run away from them?" asked Clay, suspiciously.
+
+"Because they will mistake us for convicts," replied Gregg. "An
+officer in a position to abuse his authority always does so. Many of
+the man-hunters along the river are little better than the men they
+hunt. Some of them are worse. This, of course, does not apply to the
+sheriffs and deputies of the counties touching the river, but to hired
+detectives and gunmen who come here to make a living hunting others."
+
+"You must be sore on the police," Alex. exploded. "I've got a lot of
+friends on the Chicago police force. They're good fellows, at that!"
+
+"All right!" Gregg assented. "There are a lot of good men there. But
+if you want to remain here and permit those ruffians to overrun your
+boat, insult you, and hold you prisoners until you can get to some
+town where identification is possible, you can do so. We can stand it
+if you can."
+
+"There may be some sense in what he says," Clay urged, "and if we
+could get out of the trap we are in and make the propellers go, I'd be
+willing to go on down the river and let the officers have the whole
+country to themselves."
+
+"Can't we follow this bayou current and get out on the river below
+them?" asked Jule.
+
+Clay said no; Gregg and his chums said yes.
+
+"The water has been cutting a channel for a long time," Gregg
+explained. "It needed only a slight push to send the remaining bank
+down. There are few obstructions in the new channel, as I figure it
+out, and I believe we would go through like a top once we got started.
+And we'd better hurry, if we are going to do anything, for, of course,
+they have seen your lights. They wouldn't have stopped here if they
+hadn't."
+
+"But the propellers!" urged Clay. "They're broken."
+
+In a moment one of the men had his clothes off to the undersuit and
+was diving down at the stern of the _Rambler_. He remained under the
+water so long that the boys began to fear that he had met with some
+accident, or been attacked by a snake or an alligator. He came up
+smiling, however.
+
+"Only clogged!" he cried. "You, Gregg and Eddie, get axes and chop the
+east tree down! The boat will then swing away from the other. You must
+make the cut down in the water, then we'll have to lift the prow over
+the stump."
+
+The plan suggested proved successful, and the _Rambler_, under power,
+and trailing the mattresses, was soon feeling her way down the new
+channel. Then excitement was observed on the steamer, and she was
+headed about for the main stream again. It looked like a race was on!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE SHERIFF KNOWS A LOT
+
+
+It was still raining when the _Rambler_ headed into the Mississippi,
+and there was no glimmer of light in sight save that which came from
+the steamer, still puffing at the mouth of the bayou, and that which
+lighted the path of the motor boat. The wind had gone down, and the
+slow, soft rain dominated the night.
+
+It was evident from the very start that the steamer was no match for
+the _Rambler_ when it came to a question of speed. As well might a
+delivery truck attempt to compete in swiftness with a perfect touring
+car.
+
+Besides the power of speed, the _Rambler_ had another quality which
+enabled her to rapidly increase the distance between the two boats.
+The river was still covered with wreckage, and the motor boat was a
+good dodger! She responded quickly to her helm, avoiding the driftwood
+ahead easily, while the steamer was slower in picking her way.
+
+"Your boat is a peach!" Gregg exclaimed, enthusiastically, as the
+lights of the steamer dropped out of sight behind a bend in the river.
+"Nothing would please me better than a long trip in her."
+
+"Well," Clay replied, "why not? We are going to the Gulf, and are in
+no hurry to get there. We are shy sleeping bunks, but if you boys can
+put up with beds on the floor you are welcome to go along with us. I
+reckon you'll manage to supply your share of the provisions!"
+
+"The prospect is an attractive one," Gregg replied, "but I think we'd
+better stop at Vicksburg and find employment of some kind. Later, we
+may go on down the river in a houseboat of our own. That depends on
+how lucky we are in getting good jobs."
+
+"We shall be sorry to part with you," Case put in. "We have been
+together only a few hours, but a great deal has happened in that time!
+Only for your warning, the river thieves might have sneaked aboard the
+_Rambler_ and captured it. In that case, you know very well what would
+have become of us. We should have been murdered!"
+
+"I have no doubt that you would have taken care of yourselves," Eddie
+declared.
+
+"There's one thing I want to ask you," Clay went on, "and that is
+about the outlaw you buried back in the swamp. He was a white man,
+wasn't he?"
+
+"Yes; a white man blacked up like a negro."
+
+"Did you look him over carefully enough to be able to give me a
+description of him?"
+
+"Well, we washed him up a little when we saw that he was a Caucasian,
+and I got a fair impression of his face, which wasn't a prepossessing
+one, by any means."
+
+"Can you give me something of a notion of it in a few words?" asked
+Clay.
+
+"Some old acquaintance of yours?" asked the other, with a smile at
+Case.
+
+"He might have been. The fact is, I thought I recognized the voice of
+the spokesman."
+
+"There!" Alex. exclaimed. "I had that same notion. Mose," he added,
+turning to the negro boy, "was that the man who threw you and the dog
+into the water?"
+
+"Ah sure done thought so!" was the reply.
+
+"You think it was Sam, the Robber, the man who accompanied Red?" asked
+Jule.
+
+"I didn't know but it might be!" answered Clay, and Alex. at once
+insisted that it was the same man. Mose was ready to swear to the
+fellow's identity by this time!
+
+"Tell us how he looked after the black was washed off," requested
+Clay, after a short pause, during which the three men compared
+notes--mental notes--of their impressions of the man they had left in
+the lonely grave in the swamp.
+
+"We have decided on one word that expresses our thought of the man,"
+Gregg finally replied. "You know that all human beings in some manner
+resemble some wild animal species. Some men are lions, some are
+monkeys, some are dogs, some are bears, some are foxes. Well, this man
+was a fox!"
+
+"I thought so," Clay exclaimed. "I thought the fellow's voice sounded
+like Sam's."
+
+"There are many men with fox-faces," Gregg warned. "This man may not
+have been the individual you refer to as Sam. If he is an enemy of
+yours, keep looking for him."
+
+With this bit of good advice the matter was dropped for the time. The
+steamer was no longer in sight, but the _Rambler_ was kept on her way
+to the Gulf.
+
+In the middle of the next forenoon they came to Delta, which is at the
+bottom of the Vicksburg cutoff, on the west bank of the river. Here,
+with many handshakes and expressions of regret at parting, the three
+men left the boat.
+
+"If we have any luck at all," Gregg said, as the _Rambler_ pushed out,
+"we'll meet you somewhere south of New Orleans. We've always wanted to
+see that swamp country."
+
+The boys moved slowly down the river after that.
+
+Again they were enjoying themselves, fishing, hunting and exploring
+the country on either side of the great stream.
+
+There were lowlands, swamps, winding bayous and forests in places.
+Again, there were plantations, with noble houses showing from the
+river. Whenever they halted at a plantation landing they were received
+most hospitably.
+
+The wreckage of the flood was running out of the stream, and the water
+was dropping down to normal. Occasionally they left the boat at night
+and built rousing camp-fires on high banks. At such times plantation
+hands often gathered about them with banjo and mandolin and violin and
+made the night musical.
+
+They heard no mention of the Rock Island warehouse robbery until they
+approached Baton Rouge. The night before they sighted that beautiful
+city they camped on a piece of high land on a small island. No sooner
+was their fire blazing high than a couple of rowboats skimmed across
+the river and drew up near the little camp.
+
+There were three men in one boat and two in the other, and the whole
+five hastened to greet the boys. They were evidently planters, for
+they were well dressed and gave the impression of being gentlemen.
+
+The man who seemed to be the leader looked keenly around the camp,
+peered into the cabin of the _Rambler_, and then approached Clay with
+outstretched hand.
+
+"I don't need to ask who you boys are," he laughed. "I am a regular
+reader of the Chicago newspapers. One of them, not long ago, printed
+your pictures, including those of the dog and the cub! If you'll
+desert this camp and come over to the house, I'll be glad to put you
+up for the night."
+
+"I hardly think we would sleep well under a roof," Clay laughed, "but
+we're all very thankful for your kindness. Besides, we'll have to
+remain here and watch the boat. We've had some trouble coming down,
+and are determined to be on our guard."
+
+"You won't find any river thieves around here," smiled the visitor.
+"I'm sheriff of this parish, and I've taken considerable trouble to
+clear the country of them. You say you've had trouble on the way down?
+Then this must be the party that gave the officers such a race up
+above Vicksburg?"
+
+"There was a steamer chased us--for a little while!" grinned Clay.
+
+"Yes, I understand," replied the sheriff. "The newspapers were full of
+the incident the next day, and you were held forth to the public as
+the boldest of river brigands! Why did you run away from the
+officers?"
+
+"We only suspected that they were officers," was the answer.
+
+"It wouldn't have taken long for you to have found out," smiled the
+officer.
+
+"It might have taken us a long time to get away from them," Clay
+answered. "You know how eager some officers are to make a capture.
+Well, we didn't want to be bothered with them, so we just took to our
+heels."
+
+"The officers were looking for a boy believed to be on your boat," the
+sheriff remarked. "They had information that he had been seen with you
+on two occasions."
+
+"He must refer to Chet Vinton," Case interrupted.
+
+"I don't know his name," the sheriff went on, "but he is the boy
+believed to have taken a hand in the Rock Island robbery."
+
+"That is the lad," Clay answered, with an amused smile. "We have had
+him on board the _Rambler_ on two occasions, and each time he has
+mysteriously disappeared."
+
+"Where did you see him last?"
+
+"At Memphis."
+
+"That was after you rented a deposit box at a bank?"
+
+"You seem to know all about it," grinned Clay. "Yes, he left soon
+after I rented the deposit box in the bank. By the way, do you know a
+giant of a man, red-headed and kind-hearted, who is a gentleman of
+leisure one moment and a river pirate the next?"
+
+Clay thought he saw suppressed excitement in the face of the sheriff
+as he asked the question, and waited expectantly for an answer. The
+officer hesitated before saying a word, then he pushed the direct
+question aside.
+
+"There are a good many men along the river who might answer to the
+description," he said, "but I can't call any names to mind just now.
+What about him?"
+
+"Why, I met him on the river," Clay answered, resolved to be just as
+secretive as the officer, "and I also met a man I took to be him at
+Memphis. I have a notion that I would like to meet him again some
+time. He's all right, that man!"
+
+"Tell me this," said the sheriff, then, "what did you boys discover in
+the old house on the bank of the lagoon? I understand that at least
+two of your party spent the day there. I'd like to know what they saw
+and heard in the house."
+
+Clay regarded the sheriff suspiciously.
+
+"Has there anything happened to us on this trip that you don't know
+about?" he asked, then.
+
+"Why," replied the other, "we've been hearing about you all down the
+river. Don't forget that we have telegraph wires in this country, as
+well as up north. Yes, we've heard a lot about you, and, to tell the
+truth, I've been waiting rather anxiously for you to make your
+appearance. What about the old mansion, where the negro boy and the
+dog got your friends out of a bad mess?"
+
+"Say," Alex., who had been listening, cut in, "what do you know about
+that old mansion? What kind of a gang is it that holds forth there?"
+
+"You ought to know!" smiled the sheriff. "You called on them."
+
+"Yes, and they insisted on our making a longer visit!" grinned Alex.
+
+"Now, what is it about the boy?" the sheriff said, changing the
+subject.
+
+"You know all that I know about him," replied Clay. "He ran away from
+us following the visit to the boat of the bank cashier and two
+friends."
+
+"Yes, I heard about that," said the officer. "Now, will you be good
+enough to tell me if you have seen him since that night?"
+
+"We have not, except that he returned to the _Rambler_ during the dark
+hours and restored something he had taken away from her."
+
+"Are you sure it was the boy who came back with the leather bag?"
+asked the sheriff, with a most exasperating laugh. "Are you sure it
+was the boy?"
+
+"I am not," Clay answered, wonderingly. "I spoke too hastily. Come,
+Mr. Sheriff, tell me how you know anything about that leather bag."
+
+"I don't know much about it, that's the trouble," was the reply. "I
+wish I knew more. Now, tell me this: Have you an appointment with this
+boy farther down the river? Do you expect to meet him again during
+your trip?"
+
+Clay replied that he hoped to, and the sheriff said little more on the
+subject. He expected the sheriff to ask for the key to the deposit
+box, but he did not.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+A NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS
+
+
+"I believe," Clay declared, after a long pause, during which the
+voices of negroes along the levee came softly through the night, "that
+you know something about the three persons we are just now interested
+in."
+
+"Name the three," laughed the sheriff. "Who are they?"
+
+"First, the man we have always called Red, the Robber."
+
+"You have referred to him before, my boy."
+
+"But you gave me no satisfaction," urged Clay, eagerly. "Do you know
+him?"
+
+"I have heard of a man who sometimes answers to the name of Red. What
+next?"
+
+"The boy, Chester Vinton, accused of having had a hand in the Rock
+Island robbery."
+
+"Why do you think I know anything of him? If I knew where he was I'd
+be sure and keep him long enough to find out what he knows about that
+robbery!"
+
+"And the third person is the cashier of the bank where I left the
+packet. What did he come on board the _Rambler_ for? Who were the men
+with him?"
+
+"The cashier said he was curious to see the famous boat, didn't he?"
+
+"Pshaw!" exclaimed Clay. "That wasn't the reason he came on board!
+Honest, now, didn't he expect to find some of the plunder taken from
+the warehouse on the boat?"
+
+"I don't know what he expected to find, I'm sure. I have never talked
+with him."
+
+"Now," Clay went on, "you have referred to the leather bag, the one
+thrown on the deck of the _Rambler_. Who told you about the bag if the
+cashier didn't? I begin to think the cashier took the bag and threw it
+back, or caused it to be thrown back, when he discovered that it
+contained nothing of value."
+
+"What did it contain when you first saw it?" asked the sheriff, a
+twinkle in his eyes. "Let us talk about that, for a time!"
+
+"I'm going to show you," Clay replied, half angrily, "that I can be
+just as secretive as you can! I don't know anything about the leather
+bag!"
+
+"Well," the officer went on, with a puzzling expression on his face,
+"if you come across this boy Chet will you let me know about it?"
+
+"No, I won't!" replied Clay.
+
+"That's right! Speak right up, promptly! Now I know just what to
+expect!"
+
+"You might clear up the whole matter," Clay complained, "and yet you
+won't open your mouth! I'm not going to assist you--not if I get a
+chance, which is doubtful."
+
+"Well," said the sheriff, moving toward the boats, "I must be getting
+along! I may see you later. If you come back this way don't forget
+that you are all to be my guests for a few days. I really want to get
+better acquainted with you boys."
+
+"We'll think it over," laughed Clay. "We're thankful for the
+invitation, anyway."
+
+"And when you get down below New Orleans," the officer suggested,
+"look out for the real thing in pirates! That boat of yours would make
+a fine craft for a freebooter. And human life is not regarded as very
+valuable down there."
+
+"We'll be careful, thank you!" Clay answered, and the sheriff and his
+men went off in their boats, leaving the boys looking wonderingly at
+their retreating forms.
+
+"Now," Alex. grumbled, "what did they come here for, anyway? They
+simply let us know that they were wise to our troubles and went
+away--without finding out anything, or giving us any information
+except that they were acquainted with our movements."
+
+"They did ask for the boy Chet," suggested Case.
+
+"Don't you suppose they know what it was I put in the deposit box at
+the bank?" asked Clay. "Of course they know! Now, why didn't the
+sheriff demand the key and claim the diamonds as stolen property?"
+
+"It is peaches to prunes that he has opened the box long before this,
+or that some one has!" Alex. put in. "He's the original little
+pry-in!"
+
+"I'm all out of guesses," Jule declared, "and so I'm going to bed."
+
+The boys saw nothing of the sheriff the next morning. They were on
+their way at an early hour, and, going at a swift clip, were within
+sight of New Orleans by nightfall.
+
+"Shall we spend the night in the city?" asked Case, then.
+
+"And where would we leave the _Rambler_?" asked Jule. "If we left it
+on the river we wouldn't have any boat in the morning."
+
+Without deciding the point the boys tied up some distance above the
+city and prepared supper. The moon arose in a clear sky about eight
+o'clock and the boys did not turn on the electric lights after eating.
+They sat in the moonlight on the deck and watched Captain Joe, Teddy
+and Mose tumbling about.
+
+"If it wasn't so much trouble to dress," Case said, after a time, "I'd
+like to go to a theatre to-night, and have a swell supper afterwards."
+
+"You don't want much!" laughed Clay.
+
+"Why not go, then?" asked Alex. "I'm not too lazy to put on a decent
+suit."
+
+"Do you mean it?" demanded Case, rising from his chair.
+
+"If the others will stay and guard the boat I mean it," was the reply.
+
+"Go if you want to," Clay answered the inquiring look, "for Jule and
+Mose can help me keep off the pirates! Only don't remain away all
+night."
+
+"Ah done like to see dis town!" Mose suggested.
+
+"You'll have to wait until some other time, Mose," Clay replied. "You
+must stay on board and help repel boarders now!"
+
+The little negro grinned as if perfectly satisfied with the
+arrangement, and went on with his boxing match with Teddy. Case and
+Alex. dressed as rapidly as possible and were taken ashore, in the
+four-oared boat captured above Memphis, at the foot of a street not
+far from a trolley line running to the business center of the city.
+When Clay returned with the rowboat, Mose was on one of the willow
+mattresses which had been brought down the river.
+
+In a few minutes Clay called to him to come on board, but there was no
+reply. Mose was nowhere in sight. He had evidently started out to see
+the city on his own hook!
+
+"I reckon that is the last we'll ever see of him," Jule commented, as
+they gave up the search for the boy. "He'll get to shooting craps in
+the city and live there forever. Can't do anything with a kid like
+that."
+
+"It is hard work to knock any sense into the head of a boy brought up
+on the St. Louis levee," Clay admitted, "but I hope he'll return."
+
+"Perhaps he followed Case and Alex., and will return with them," Jule
+suggested.
+
+"That would be like him," Clay admitted.
+
+The boys were not sleepy and the moonlight was fine, so they sat on
+the deck until midnight, waiting for the others to return. They had
+not returned at one o'clock, and the watchers were becoming anxious
+when a call from the shore came to their ears. In a moment the call
+was repeated, shriller than before, and then there followed a splash
+in the river and a shot.
+
+The boys saw a figure swimming toward the _Rambler_ and got out their
+guns.
+
+"Doesn't look very formidable!" Clay observed, as the figure came
+nearer. "It looks like Mose! Now, what the mischief is the little coon
+up to, I'd like to know?"
+
+"It is Mose, all right," Jule assented, "and there's some one on shore
+shooting at him. He may have been up to some of his pranks on shore."
+
+Directly the shooting on the shore ceased, and then Mose came on
+faster, not being obliged to swim under water half the time. He
+crawled, chilly and dripping, on deck and rolled his eyes at Clay.
+
+"Dey done got um!" he exclaimed.
+
+"What about it?" demanded Jule. "Who's got them?"
+
+After much questioning it was learned that Mose had left the _Rambler_
+in time to overtake Case and Alex., that he had followed them into the
+city, and had seen them talking with Chet Vinton, the mysterious boy
+who seemed to turn up in the oddest places and to disappear in the
+strangest manner.
+
+The boys had talked with Chet for a long time, the little negro said,
+and had not gone to the theatre at all. Instead, they had gone into a
+disreputable part of the city with the boy, and had there met two men
+believed by the negro to be thieves.
+
+At last, at a late hour, the boy declared, still with much hesitation,
+Case and Alex. had attempted to leave the little cottage where they
+were sitting and had been forcibly detained. Chet, Mose said, had been
+the first one to oppose their departure. Then he, Mose, had dashed
+away to warn those on the boat and had been followed by some of the
+men he had been watching.
+
+He described in glowing terms and very bad English how he had jumped
+fences and chased through moonlit backyards, and how he had been shot
+at at every step of the way!
+
+"I reckon you were shot at because some one mistook you for a thief."
+
+Mose looked reproachfully at Jule, and rolled his eyes wider than
+ever.
+
+"What are we going to do now?" questioned Clay. "I don't know how much
+of this story to believe."
+
+"One of us might leave the boat and go back with Mose," the other
+suggested.
+
+At mention of his going back to the place from which he had fled, Mose
+rushed into the cabin, lowered his bunk, and covered up, head and
+ears, in the bedclothes! Captain Joe tried to worry him out, but
+without success.
+
+"I believe the dog can find them," Clay remarked, presently.
+
+"I'm willing to go and try what he can do," Jule answered.
+
+"If we could get that foolish negro to come along!" Clay commented.
+
+Jule went back to the bunk and shook Mose by the shoulder.
+
+"Come on," he cried. "We're going to take Captain Joe out with us and
+find the boys. You'll have to go along and show the way!"
+
+"Fo' de Law'd's sake!" wailed the boy. "Let dis coon die in hes bed!"
+
+"Come on!" insisted Jule. "You've got to come."
+
+After many arguments and many promises of reward in the shape of
+yellow shoes and red shirts, the boy consented to go ashore again.
+Clay warned Jule to be watchful and cautious and saw him go away with
+Mose and Captain Joe with a feeling that a great deal depended on his
+good judgment.
+
+Jule and Mose were obliged to wait some time for a late car, and the
+walk to the quarter of the city toward which their steps were turned
+was a long one, so it was nearly three o'clock in the morning when
+they came to a dilapidated old shanty near the river front. Mose
+declared this was the place, and Captain Joe seemed to think so also,
+for he said quite positively, in his best dog-English, that there were
+people he knew in that old ruin, which was dark in every window and
+door.
+
+Now and then, as the boys and the dog stood in front of the house,
+loiterers of the night paused in their aimless wanderings and regarded
+them speculatively, possibly mistaking them for disreputables like
+themselves. For a long time there was no sign of life in the house,
+and then a soft footstep was heard at the front door and the boys
+heard a knob stealthily turned.
+
+Listen as they might, they heard nothing more for a long time, and
+then a figure dropped softly out of an open window and moved off
+toward the river, evidently failing to see the watchers crouched near
+at hand.
+
+"That's Chet!" Jule muttered, starting away, but Mose shook his head
+vigorously.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+SOMETHING DOING ALL THE TIME
+
+
+Jule was at a loss what course to pursue. The boy who had left the
+house might be Chet, in which case he felt that he ought to follow and
+induce him to return to the _Rambler_, if that were possible.
+
+The diamonds which had been placed in the deposit vault belonged to
+Chet. At least the boy had had them in his possession when he came
+aboard the boat, and in the absence of any other claim upon them they
+belonged to him. If they did not belong to him, then their owner ought
+to be found. If they did, he ought to have possession of them.
+
+Just how a boy had become possessed of a fortune in precious stones,
+Jule was not trying to figure out at that time. What was in his mind
+was the thought that the question of ownership ought to be settled at
+once. This question, he believed, could best be settled by the boy
+himself.
+
+He waived, for the time being, all consideration of the possible
+connection of the gems with the Rock Island robbery, all consideration
+of the possible connection of the boy with the man known to him as
+Red, the Robber. Chet himself could best decide the question of
+ownership, and Jule thought he ought to be taken back to the boat, by
+force if necessary.
+
+Just as the boy was on the point of pursuing the figure, now fast
+disappearing in the shadows along the levee, Mose pulled at his arm
+and pointed to Captain Joe. The dog, with short ears and tail rampant,
+was crouching close to the closed door of the house, uttering low
+growls as his paws moved toward the threshold.
+
+"Alex. in dar!" the little negro exclaimed.
+
+Then there came a heavy, stumbling footstep along the walk, and a
+burly man in the garb of a riverman paused at the door, overlooking
+the boys crouched at the angle of the house, but cursing the dog
+drunkenly. Captain Joe behaved remarkably well under the kicks
+delivered at him, and the newcomer took a key from his pocket and
+opened the door. Before he could enter the dog had disappeared in the
+darkness of the interior.
+
+"I reckon Alex. is in there, perhaps Case, too," Jule muttered.
+
+"Yo' sure cain't fool dat purp!" Mose whispered.
+
+The boys did not attempt to follow on into the house by the open
+doorway, but passed on to the window and entered there. All was still
+dark inside. They could hear the man who had just entered moving
+about, still striking at and cursing the dog.
+
+Directly another key was turned, and then all was confusion. Jule
+switched on his flashlight and the circle it cut in the darkness
+revealed the man standing in a doorway with a long-barreled revolver
+in one shaking hand. The casings of the doorway appeared to be of
+two-inch plank, and the door itself was crossed by iron bands.
+
+The man turned as the light flashed out and fired, the bullet going
+wide of the mark. Then a voice came from the interior of the room, a
+voice which brought joy to the hearts of boys outside. The voice of
+Alex.
+
+"Get him, Joe!" the voice cried. "Get him good!"
+
+The man wheeled and shot at the springing dog, but the bullet went off
+into the ragged ceiling instead of into Captain Joe's head, as
+intended. Directly the dog and the man were in a struggle on the
+floor, the only light Jule's electric.
+
+Alex. and Case came out of the room, leaping over the fighters, and
+seized Jule and Mose in enthusiastic embraces.
+
+"Wait!" Jule commanded. "Get the man on the floor first. The dog will
+take his life. Joe!" he added, "let go!"
+
+"Take him away!" shrieked the man. "He's chewed my arm off now!"
+
+Jule picked up the fallen man's revolver and held it to his head while
+Alex. forced the dog away. There was blood on Captain Joe's jaws, and
+the man on the floor was breathing heavily.
+
+"Shut the door and put down the window!" Alex. said, presently, "and
+put the light out! There's no more fight in this chap just now."
+
+"Here, I'll fix him," Case said. "I'll chuck him into this
+refrigerator and lock him up. See how well he likes his own medicine."
+
+"But he'll get right out!" advised Jule.
+
+"Oh, will he!" Alex. answered. "Then he'll do more than we could. I'll
+bet the walls of that hole are a foot thick! And the air? I'm choked
+to death."
+
+"We tried our best to get out and couldn't," Case added.
+
+"Suppose we see if he is badly hurt before we leave him?" Jule put in.
+
+An examination showed that the dog had seized the fellow by the
+shoulder and bitten through the flesh, making an ugly though not
+serious wound.
+
+"That won't hurt him!" Alex. declared. "His chums will come and get
+him in the morning, anyway. Chuck him in and lock the door and we'll
+climb out of this!"
+
+"Isn't the place watched?" asked Jule, peering out cautiously.
+
+"It would be if the outlaws weren't drunk," Alex. replied. "There's a
+copper over on the other side of the street. Probably he heard the
+shots. We'll duck out of a back window and make for the _Rambler_."
+
+The boys were watched furtively by the policemen in that section of
+the city as they made their way along the streets with the dog, but
+they were not molested. When they came to the residence district where
+there was little fear of their being followed, Jule turned to Alex.
+with a grin.
+
+"How did you like the play?" he asked?
+
+"You saw about as much of it as we did!" was the reply.
+
+"How did you come to get into such a scrape?" was the next question.
+
+"The outlaws followed us from the boat," was the answer. "Oh, yes they
+did," the boy insisted as Jule grinned. "They were waiting for the
+_Rambler_ to come down stream! They thought we had the diamonds and
+were going into the city to dispose of them. They swore they'd keep us
+in that hole, without food or drink, until we told them where the
+stones were! I wish I'd never heard of the diamonds!"
+
+"Who was the other boy?" asked Jule.
+
+"The other boy? Where? When? Oh, that was Chet! We'll settle with
+him!"
+
+"The lad who jumped out of an open window just before we got in and
+ducked away toward the river. Was that Chet?"
+
+"Blessed if I know!" Alex. answered. "It might have been."
+
+"I believe that really was Chet!" Jule declared. "It looked like him."
+
+"How did you get here?" asked Case. "You're a wonder! And Mose and
+Joe, too!"
+
+As the boys walked along the story of Mose's runaway expedition was
+told, and Alex. immediately grasped the little negro boy by the
+collar.
+
+"You're a little brick!" he exclaimed, "and I'm going to see that you
+have a 'possum for dinner to-morrow--or to-day, rather--if there is
+one to be found in the city."
+
+"It is a wonder," Case commented, "that the fellows didn't make an
+attack on the _Rambler_! After they searched us, they talked for a
+long time in whispers and then started away. I believe they did go to
+the boat--and Clay there alone!"
+
+"We ought to make better time," Jule observed. "Where do we get the
+trolley?"
+
+"Unless we get an owl car," Alex. replied, "we'll get none at all
+until the early run, and that will be after five o'clock. Guess we've
+got to walk it."
+
+Eager, yet almost dreading, to learn the exact state of affairs on the
+motor boat, the boys traveled fast, breaking into a run now and then,
+much to the wonder and amazement of the few negroes they encountered
+making their way to the business section.
+
+At last, just before daylight, they came in sight of the boat. A short
+distance up the bank a bright camp-fire was burning, and several
+figures could be seen moving around it. All was quiet on board the
+_Rambler_. No lights were in sight, either from the cabin or the prow.
+The boys waited a short time, wondering, and then Jule went to the
+levee and looked for the rowboat. It was not there.
+
+"They've got possession, I reckon," he said, when he came back.
+
+"Then all we've got to do is to take it away from them!" Alex.
+suggested.
+
+"But how?" asked Jule. "We can't go on board without their seeing us."
+
+"First," Alex. went on, "I'm going to make a sneak up to that fire and
+find out what those men are talking about. They may be all-right
+fellows, for all we know."
+
+The others waited breathlessly for the boy's return. When he came back
+he said:
+
+"They've been on board and ransacked the cabin. They found no one
+there! Now, what do you think has become of Clay?" he added.
+
+"It's a wonder they didn't run off with the boat," Case said.
+
+"Oh, they wouldn't do that," Alex. ventured. "They want to get us. I
+half believe the men are officers. What gets me is what they built
+that fire for?"
+
+"Probably thought we were fools enough to run up to it," hazarded
+Jule.
+
+"But where is Clay?" demanded Case. "We've got to find him. Do you
+know if they left any one on board the boat?"
+
+"I didn't hear anything said about that," was the reply, "but it is a
+cinch that they did. And I believe there's more than one on board,
+too."
+
+"Hard luck to lose the boat after getting so far on our journey!" Jule
+commented.
+
+"We don't lose the boat, if they are officers," Alex. hastened to say.
+"What they want is the crew! We'll fool 'em at that. I'm going to swim
+over and see what's doing on board. If everything is all right, I'll
+make a noise like an owl."
+
+"That's a nice long swim," Case objected. "I don't think you can make
+it."
+
+"Mose made it, didn't you, coon?" Alex. replied. "I'm the boy that
+poured the water into the Mississippi! Nice adventure this?" he
+continued. "I'm going to give the residents of the valley a chromo
+each for the manner in which we have been entertained by them! Here
+goes for the _Rambler_!"
+
+"You act like you meant to walk back to Chicago," Case suggested, as
+Alex. started away, turning away from the river in order to avoid the
+people at the fire.
+
+"Oh, I'm only going to walk up a little way and drift as I swim down."
+
+"Come up on the other side, then," Case cautioned. "Then you won't be
+seen."
+
+When Alex. started away on his perilous trip Mose disappeared, and
+Captain Joe was nowhere to be seen the next minute. Case searched and
+grumbled, but did not find them.
+
+"They've gone with Alex.," he suggested. "They always do. Well, let
+them go, they can swim better than I can! Wish I was along, also."
+
+"If they are officers, the men at the fire," Jule asked, "why don't we
+go right up to them and find out what's doing? They won't lock us up,
+will they?"
+
+"That is just about what they will do if they get us," was the slow
+reply. "We would get out of jail in time, but who wants to lie in a
+cell when there is so much fun to be had on the river? These fellows
+have been wired to head us off, probably by the sheriff we met up
+there. It may be that the diamonds Clay put in the deposit box have
+been identified as the ones stolen from Rock Island. I wish Chet would
+show up right now!"
+
+"Oh, well, if they want to coop us up," Jule agreed, "we'd better cut
+our luck until they find out who stole the diamonds--or, at any rate,
+find out that we didn't."
+
+The boy ceased speaking suddenly, for the motor boat was getting under
+way, heading down toward the business wharves!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+COMMONPLACE, AFTER ALL
+
+
+"Can that be Alex. moving the _Rambler_?" asked Case, as the motors
+sputtered out their insistent clamor. "I don't believe he has had time
+to get on board yet."
+
+"Well, Captain Joe has, anyway!" Jule declared, as a sharp bark came
+from the craft, which now seemed to be turning around. "That's the
+Captain's voice, all right."
+
+Standing high on the levee, with the lights of the city growing below
+them, the lads watched the _Rambler_ for a moment and then started on
+a run up the stream toward a small landing that was not far from the
+camp-fire.
+
+"If Alex. wasn't on board," Case reasoned, "Captain Joe wouldn't be
+there. If Alex. is running the boat up to that landing, it is safe for
+us to go there."
+
+The _Rambler_ did tie up at the landing, and then the boys saw that
+the rowboat they had missed was tied to her stern. The willow
+mattresses were also still hanging on to the cords to which they had
+been tied. The men at the fire started up toward the landing as the
+boys reached it, but, much to the surprise of the lads, they did not
+attempt to go on board. In a moment Clay, Alex. and Mose showed their
+faces on deck.
+
+"Come aboard!" shouted Alex. "I've arranged a surprise party for you
+here."
+
+"What is Chet doing on there?" demanded Case. "I thought we left him
+with his new friends, the thieves, in that old house in the city."
+
+"This is no time for story-telling!" said another voice on board, and
+the man who had been known as Red, the Robber, came out of the cabin
+and sat down, calmly, on the gunwale. The boys on shore were, by this
+time, prepared for almost anything. When they reached the deck, Red
+waved a farewell to the men on the levee and the boat whirled down
+toward the Gulf of Mexico.
+
+"You see," Alex. grinned, "we don't know where we are going, but we
+are on our way."
+
+"I know!" Clay insisted, "we are going to complete our trip to the
+Gulf of Mexico. We've had all the mystery we need on this voyage, and
+the next one that starts anything in that line will be banished to one
+of the mattresses!"
+
+"All right," Alex. retorted. "We don't care about knowing what this
+all means! I reckon it is too commonplace to refer to again."
+
+He grinned at Red and Chet as he spoke, and they both laughed back at
+him.
+
+"We have with us to-night," Alex. went on, in a very good imitation of
+the after-dinner orator, "Red, the Robber! His specialty is taking
+boats away from boys and sneaking off down the river with them--until
+some one gets the drop on him!
+
+"We also have with us," he continued, "Chester Vinton, the waif who
+was rescued from a barren island in the Mississippi with a hundred
+thousand dollars' worth of diamonds in his possession! He will soon do
+his stunt of telling how he found them in a piece of pie at a Rock
+Island restaurant.
+
+"This wonderful Chet is also the last word in friendship. When he sees
+boys who have befriended him, it is his habit to turn them over to
+thieves, who lock them up--not in anger, but to protect them from
+other naughty boys!"
+
+Instead of showing anger at this blunt talk, Red and Chet sat down on
+the gunwale and laughed until the river echoed back their voices. Clay
+also seemed much amused.
+
+"What's the answer?" demanded Case, turning to Chet.
+
+"Now you boys just wait a short time," Red observed, "and you'll know
+all about it. I would tell you right now, only I see how hungry you
+all are. And, seeing that I have a monster beefsteak in the cabin,
+with ducks ready to roast, and eggs ready to fry, why, it seems like
+we ought to eat before we mix with any long yarns!"
+
+So Case and Alex. took to the cabin, and the odors of steak and coffee
+and roasting duck soon filled the boat. While the good things were
+cooking the _Rambler_ dropped down to a wharf where a tank wagon of
+gasoline awaited them, and there, also, loads of provisions of all
+kinds were put on board.
+
+And the strangest part of it all was that there was nothing to pay!
+Red appeared to have temporary charge of the boat, and the bills
+seemed to have all been paid in advance. They were headed down stream
+when breakfast was eaten.
+
+"We ought to reach the Gulf in three or four weeks, if we hurry!" Red
+observed, as he carved the ducks. "That is, if we hurry in the right
+way!"
+
+"I thought it would take until spring," Chet broke in. "I hoped so!"
+
+Alex. regarded the two with a whimsical smile on his freckled face.
+
+"How long will it be before you'll both disappear?" he asked.
+
+"Never again!" laughed Chet. "Say, boys, I did make a quick get-away a
+couple of times? What? I hated to go, but I just had to."
+
+"Yes, and you prevented Case and I making one at the house in the
+city," Alex. said.
+
+"It is all as simple as twice two," Red observed, sitting back from
+the table. "The robbery at Rock Island was planned and carried out by
+Sam, the outlaw who assisted me in the capture of the _Rambler_. I
+knew that at the time I was with him--at the time I let him go--or
+when you boys did, rather."
+
+"But why didn't you pinch him?" demanded Alex. "There's a reward."
+
+"Because I hadn't then discovered the goods which had been taken. He
+was going to take me to them, I being a possible purchaser!"
+
+"Well, of all the nerve!" Jule cut in. "Just think of that, now!"
+
+"Were they in that old house on the bayou?" asked Alex.
+
+"Some of them were. As soon as I got off your boat I wired back to
+have the place surrounded and searched. They found all the silks and
+furs there! You boys did a good job for me when you permitted
+yourselves to be trapped."
+
+"It was Captain Joe and Mose who did the good job when they got us
+out!" Jule said.
+
+"Did you find Sam again?" asked Case, in a moment. "He was a corker!"
+
+"You boys found him in the swamp," Red replied soberly, "and Mose
+executed the sentence of the law upon him--hanged him by the neck!"
+
+"So you are a detective?" asked Case. "Why didn't you say so?"
+
+"I am not," was the reply. "I am the owner of the warehouse that was
+robbed, and I set out to get the goods back, that is all."
+
+"But you asked us to take Chet on down the river when he had the
+diamonds in his clothes!" Alex. exclaimed. "What about that? It was a
+funny stunt."
+
+"Of course I didn't know that he had the diamonds," added Red, now to
+be known as Mr. George Redmond. "He told me about his having had them
+when I told him that Sam was dead, that was last night, in New
+Orleans. Then he told me that he had taken the diamonds from Sam
+because he wanted to restore them to me, but had promised Sam that he
+would never reveal his, Sam's, connection with the crime. Of course
+Sam never knew positively that the boy had stolen the diamonds, but he
+suspected."
+
+"And sent this riverman, Gid Brent, on board at Cairo to see if the
+boy was there?"
+
+"Yes, he did that. By that time I was satisfied that the boy had been
+in on the robbery--that he had been forced to enter the building by
+way of a window and open the door for the thieves to enter.
+
+"I knew that the boy would tell the whole story to me if I could get
+him away from the robbers, and not scare him half to death by putting
+him in jail. So I followed him along down the river. As the robbers
+were making their way down toward New Orleans, too, I was doing a
+pretty good job following him--and especially as the robbers were
+after him, too. They believed, all but Sam, he had taken the diamonds,
+you see.
+
+"They got him last night and searched him, but found nothing. Then
+they told him that if he would get Alex. and Case into their hands
+they would let him go. So Chet did that very thing, and now the two
+boys are witnesses that the robbers admitted to them that they were in
+on the robbery!
+
+"When they let Chet go he made for the _Rambler_ on a run, and found
+me on the way. All the people who were in the old house are under
+arrest. And the diamonds are up at Memphis in the deposit vault, and
+all is well."
+
+"How do you know that?" demanded Clay.
+
+"Why, we opened the box, the cashier and I," was the reply. "I knew
+they were there before I knew that Chet had ever had them. My one
+great difficulty was to get hold of the boy after he ran off at
+Memphis! Your boat was watched all the way down, you know, of course."
+
+Then Clay told of his talk with the sheriff, and they all laughed at
+the idea that they had not seen through it all long before.
+
+"If Chet had kept to boats I could have found him," Red went on, "but
+he rode on wreckage, and that made it difficult. I might have saved
+you boys and Chet some of this mystery talk if I had told you about it
+when I had Alex. in the cabin of my boat, after I knew where the
+diamonds were, but I thought I would let it work out for itself,
+especially as I was having the time of my life."
+
+"I suppose those three mechanics were detectives, too?" asked Case.
+
+"They were just what they represented themselves to be," was the
+reply, "and they got good positions at Vicksburg. They are expecting
+to meet you down the river, in a houseboat of their own. I saw them
+soon after they left you."
+
+"I don't wonder the robbers wanted to get hold of Chet," laughed Alex.
+"They must have been red-headed when they found that the diamonds had
+been stolen from them!"
+
+"Yes, they were," replied Chet, "but they didn't suspect me, at first.
+The man Brent, who came on board the _Rambler_ at Cairo, would have
+killed me had he found me there. I was afraid he would, so I took to
+the river."
+
+"And you took to the river again the night you threw the bag back on
+deck, too."
+
+"Yes, I got pretty cold, too. I knew where the bag was, in the cabin,
+all the time, and I thought the diamonds were in it. Believing it
+would be safe, I did not take it and run away, as I had threatened to
+do, but when the cashier and another came on the boat I did take it
+and skip. When I found that the diamonds were not there I threw the
+bag back just to let you know I was wise to the game," he added.
+
+"It is a commonplace story, after all, when you come to get it all
+told," said Mr. Redmond. "If it has spoiled your river trip I'm sorry
+for it!"
+
+"We wouldn't have had any fun only for that!" cried Alex.
+
+"Well," Clay cut in, "now we'll go down the river and have fun! We'll
+spend two months or more on the way to the Gulf, and then we'll put
+the motor boat on board a ship and sail her around to some point where
+we can get into the St. Lawrence river. The St. Lawrence comes next,
+you know."
+
+"Why not put her on a gondola car again and take her as near to the
+headwaters of the St. Lawrence as we can?" asked Case. "I'd rather
+float down than sail up, any day."
+
+"We will decide that when we get done here," Clay answered.
+
+Those were two golden months for the boys, and Mr. Redmond seemed to
+enjoy the outing fully as much as any of them. They fished and hunted
+and loafed in the numerous passages of the delta of the Mississippi,
+and built roaring fires on the knolls, when they found them, and lived
+the care-free lives boys enjoy so much.
+
+And then they were off for Chicago, and from there to the headwaters
+of the St. Lawrence. Their adventures on this noble river will be
+found in the next volume of this series; entitled:
+
+"The Six River Motor Boys on the St. Lawrence; or, the Lost Channel."
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The River Motor Boat Boys on the
+Mississippi, by Harry Gordon
+
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