rust Jake Shaggam," replied Gouch, with
a swagger. Liquor had deprived him of all his natural shrewdness.

He insisted upon talking about the girls and tried to open the door.
Failing in this he took the hermit around to the window.

"Nice old chap this is, gals," he said. "Finest old chap in old
Kentucky. Think a sight o' him, I do. Shake hands with him."

"What are these yere gals doin' here?" asked Shaggam, with interest.

"Got 'em prisoners. Tell ye all 'bout it ter-morrow," answered Gouch,
thickly. "Big deal on--better'n stealin' hosses.''

"They seem to be very nice girls," answered Jake Shaggam. He was a
harmless kind of an individual with a face that was far from repugnant.

Watching her chance Dora drew close to the old man.

"Take this, please do!" she whispered, and gave him one of the notes,
folded in a dollar bill.

"Thank you," answered Jake Shaggam.

"Say nothing,--look at it as soon as you get away," added Dora.

The old hermit nodded, and in a few minutes more he followed Gouch
to another part of the boat.

"Do you think he will deliver that message?" asked Nellie.

"Let us pray Heaven that he does," answered her cousin.

CHAPTER XXX

THE RESCUE--CONCLUSION

The Rovers and the others on the steam tug could scarcely wait for
the old man in the dilapidated rowboat to come up alongside.

"You have a message for us?" said Dick. "Hand it over, quick."

"The message says as how you-uns will pay me twenty-five dollars fer
delivering of it in twenty-four hours," said the old man, cautiously.

"Who is it from?"

"It is signed Dora Stanhope and Nellie Laning."

"Give it to me--I'll pay you the money," cried Tom.

"All right, reckon as how I kin trust you-uns," said the old man.

It was Jake Shaggam, who had received the message the evening before.
He had read it with interest and started out at daylight to find out
something about the Rovers and where they might be located. Good
fortune had thrown him directly in our young friends' way.

"This is really a message from the girls!" cried Tom, reading it
hastily. "It is in Nellie Laning's handwriting."

"And Dora Stanhope has signed her name too," added Dick. "I know her
signature well."

"Of course you do," put in Fred, dryly, but nobody paid attention to
the sally.

"They are on the houseboat, and the craft is hidden up Shaggam Creek,"
put in Sam. He turned to the captain of the tug. "Where is Shaggam
Creek?"

"This ere is