I
a beauty?"

He stood up in the boat and turned slowly around and around, his arms
extended and the doublet glittering. Henry leaned against the side of the
boat and laughed.

"It doesn't suit you, Sol," he replied, "you're a fine looking man, but
it's in your own way, not the Spanish way."

Sol took off the garment, folded it up carefully, and put it back in the
locker.

"Anyway, I'm goin' to claim it," he said. "I want it to make Jim Hart
jealous. An', Henry, thar's a lot more things here, a little tent all
rolled up, some bottles o' medicine, some more clothes, two big bottles
o' brandy, and a whole lot o' house-keepin' truck, like pins an' needles
an' thread, an' them things that kin be pow'ful useful to us on a long
journey. An' jumpin' Jehoshaphat, Henry, here's a little bag o' silver an'
gold!"

"Put that back!" said Henry hastily. "Put it back, Sol! Their goods we'll
borrow as fair spoil, but we won't touch their money. Put it back and none
of us will ever take that bag out again."

"You're right, Henry," said Sol soberly. "I wouldn't handle a single coin
in that bag thar. Here she goes right under the bottom o' everything in
this locker, an' thar she'll stay. But, Henry, our gall-yun is the biggest
find we ever made in our lives. I never dreamed o' travelin' in sech style
an' comfort down the Mississippi."

"Do you think it's going to grow lighter?" asked Henry.

"No," replied Sol decidedly. "It's been a shy kind o' moon to-night, an'
it's a gittin' so much shyer that it's plumb afraid to show its face. In
three minutes it will hide behind a big cloud that's edgin' up over thar,
an' we won't see it no more to-night."

"Then we'll pull down to the edge of the woods and see if the Spaniards
have given up the chase."

"An' be keerful not to run into any snags or sech like. We don't want to
wreck a magnificent gall-yun like this when we've got her."

They had been lying in the flooded forest about two hours, and now they
pulled very cautiously toward the main stream. It was a large boat for
two men, however strong, to handle, but they got through without colliding
with snag or tree trunk, or making any noise that could be heard a dozen
yards away.

CHAPTER V

ON THE GREAT RIVER

They remained just within the edge of the forest, but, despite the lack of
moonlight, they could see far over the surface of the river. It seemed to
be an absolutely clean sweep of waters, as free from boats as i