n.
Everything to other minds would have been gigantic, somber, and menacing.
Gigantic it was to the five, but neither somber nor menacing. Instead it
told them of safety and comfort and it was, at all times, full of a varied
and supreme interest.

As soon as the light was strong enough for them to find a suitable place
they pulled the boat among the trees on the western shore and tied it up
securely. Here they made a critical examination and found that none of
their precious goods had suffered a wetting. Powder, provisions, clothing,
all were dry and every one except the watch went to sleep with a sound
conscience.

CHAPTER VII

THE LONE VOYAGER

Henry Ware awoke, rubbed his eyes, and looked through the tree trunks at
the Mississippi, now wider than ever.

"What do you see, Tom?" he asked of Tom Ross, who had kept the watch.

"Nothin' but a black speck fur across thar. It come into sight only a
minute ago. Fust I thought it wuz a shadder, then I thought it wuz a
floatin' log, an' now I do believe it's a canoe. What do you make uv it,
Henry?"

Henry looked long.

"It is a canoe," said he at last, "and there's a man in it. They're
floating with the stream down our way."

"You're right," said Tom Ross, "an' ef I ain't mistook that man an' that
canoe are in trouble. Half the time he's paddlin', half the time he's
bailin' her out, an' all the time he's making a desperate effort to git to
land."

The others were now up and awake, and they gazed with intense interest.

"It's a white man in the canoe ez shore ez I'm a livin' sinner!" exclaimed
Shif'less Sol.

"And it's a question," added Henry, "whether his canoe gets to the bank or
the bottom of the river first."

"It's a white man and we must save him!" cried Paul, his generous boy's
heart stirred to the utmost.

They quickly untied their boat and pulled with great strokes toward the
sinking canoe and its lone occupant. They were alongside in a few minutes
and Henry threw a rope to the man, who caught it with a skillful hand, and
tied his frail craft stoutly to the side of the strong "Galleon." Then, as
Paul reached a friendly hand down to him he sprang on board, exclaiming at
the same time in a deep voice: "May the blessing of Heaven rest upon you,
my children."

The five were startled at the face and appearance of the man who came upon
their boat. They had never thought of encountering such a figure in the
wilderness. He was of middle age, tall,