ow at this minute a solid stream o' wisdom, a
fountain, ez Paul would say in his highfalutin' way, at which everybody
ought to drink."

Jim Hart also reached out a brown and sinewy hand and the two met in a
powerful and friendly clasp.

"I'm like Jim," continued Shif'less Sol. "'Tain't what you git that makes
you happy, but thar's a heap in bein' suited. I'm glad I'm livin' when I
am, an' whar I am. Me an' things suit each other. What Paul says may come
true, but it won't bust my heart, 'cause I won't be here to see it."

An hour or so later Henry and Sol went through the woods and watched for
the Spanish fleet. They saw it presently moving in single file down the
Mississippi, and showing, so far as they could judge, no signs of damage.

"Twas ez we guessed last night it would be, a dogfall," said Shif'less
Sol, "lots o' noise and not much done. Now that Injun crowd hez drawed off
to the east, an' I think we've seed the last o' them, while the Spaniards,
thinkin' they've had enough o' excitement, will keep straight on to New
Or-lee-yuns."

"I've no doubt you're right," said Henry, "and we'll follow to-night.
We'll let them take a good start."

They watched the little fleet until it passed out of sight down the river
and then returned to their own boat. There they devoted the day to further
preparations for a long journey. As game was close at hand in such
abundance, they shot two deer and took the meat on board. They also
undertook to provide shelter, as this was the period of the spring rains
and they did not wish to be drenched or have their stores damaged.
Fortunately they found a tarpaulin in one of the lockers and, taking this
and the two deerskins, they united all in a larger covering which they
could spread over nearly the whole boat. This all considered a highly
important task, and they meant to enlarge the tarpaulin still more as
they killed more deer. Meanwhile they let it lie in the sun, in order that
the deerskins might dry.

Their tasks occupied them until about 10 o'clock at night and then they
decided to start again, thinking that night traveling would be safer for a
day or two. They rowed down the river until they entered the Mississippi,
and then they set their sail again.

No other human beings were afloat on the river, at least not within the
range of their vision, but there was a plenty of floating trees and other
debris brought down by the spring flood. Careful steering was necessary,
but t