splitting itself horizontally in half,
revealed huge jaws lined with terrible teeth. Paul sprang back with a cry,
and Henry, who was near, rifle in hand, fired a ball into the monster's
brain. The big brown log, that was no log, turned partially over and died.

"An alligator," said Henry, "I've heard of them, but this is the first
that I've ever seen."

"I've heard of them, too," said Paul, "but I never thought I'd walk almost
into the mouth of one without knowing it."

Shif'less Sol had his grievance, too. "Now that's another o' the ways o'
this here southern country!" he exclaimed in a pained tone, "A big,
hungry, wild animal, tryin' to pass itself off ez, an old dead log. Up in
Kentucky, a good honest bear, or even a sneakin' panther, would be
ashamed to look you in the face after tryin' to play sech a low-down
trick on a man."

"It is certainly a hideous brute," said Paul.

"I'm thinkin' that we'd better build our fire big," said Long Jim. "I
don't want to wake up in the mornin' an' find myself devoured by an
alligator, jest when I wuz about to reach the great town uv New
Or-lee-yuns."

But they were not molested that night by either man or animal, and the
next day, watchful and surcharged with interest, they approached New
Orleans, which was bulking so large to them. The river looped out into a
crescent and narrowed greatly. As they came to the city, the Mississippi
did not seem to them to be more than a third of a mile wide, but they knew
that it was extremely deep.

But there, snugly within the crescent, lay New Orleans, a town enclosed
within palisaded fortifications that faced the levee for about a thousand
yards, and that ran back perhaps half as far. The levee was lined with
vessels. Already New Orleans was famous for shipping, and they saw the
flags of many nations. Schooners there were and brigs and brigantines, and
barks and barkentines, and other craft from Europe and the West Indies and
South America. Near the shore was a great, high ship, from which the red
and yellow flag of Spain fluttered in more than one place, while the
muzzles of cannon protruded from her wooden sides.

"That's an armed galleon," said Paul.

"She's a big ship an' she's got lots o' men on her," said Shif'less Sol,
"but I wouldn't trade our gall-yun fur her."

"No, our boat suits us best," said Henry.

They saw about them on the river many small craft like their own, ships,
boats, canoes, barges, dug-outs, and other ki