e that other fellow came back with an officer, didn't he?"
went on the eldest Rover sarcastically.

"I did not--ah--see him, suh."

"I'm out my watch, all because of your foolishness."

"Suh?"

"You needn't 'suh' me, I mean what I said. My watch is gone. If you
didn't take it yourself, you helped that fellow to get away with it."

"This to me, suh! me, Colonel Jackson Gibbs, suh, of the Sudley Light
Artillery, suh! Infamous, suh!"

"So is the loss of my watch infamous."

"I shall make a complaint, suh, to the authorities."

"Go ahead, and tell them that I lost my watch, too," and walked off,
leaving Colonel Jackson Gibbs of the Sudley Light Artillery gazing
after him in amazement.

"Do you think he will make more trouble?" asked Tom.

"Not he. He is too scared that I will hold him responsible for the
loss of the watch." And Dick was right; they never did hear of the
planter again.

That night, all on board did nothing but talk about Dan Baxter and
the way he had managed to escape.

"He is as bad as Paddy's flea," said Dora. "When you put your finger
on him, he isn't there."

The houseboat left the town the following afternoon, and the course
was now down the Mississippi in the direction of a village called
Braxbury, where Mrs. Stanhope had some friends of many years' standing.

"They used to have quite a plantation," said the lady. "If they still
have it, we'll have a good chance for a nice time on shore."

"And we can go out for that ride on the prairies," added Sam.

"Want to scalp a few noble red men?" asked Tom, with a wink.

"No red men in mine, Tom. But wouldn't you like an outing of that
sort, just for a change?"

"Don't know but what I would. But we couldn't take the girls along
very well."

"No, we could leave them with their friends at the plantation."

On the following day it began to rain, and all had to keep to the
cabin of the houseboat. At first, the rain came down lightly, but
towards noon it poured in torrents. Out on the river the weather grew
so thick that they could not see a hundred feet in any direction.

"Better run for the shore and tie up," said Dick to Captain Starr.
"We don't want to run the risk of a collision, especially when our
time's our own."

"I was just going to suggest it," said the skipper of the _Dora_,
and soon they were turning toward shore. A good landing place was
found and the houseboat was tied up near several large trees in that
vicinity.

Inste