y did not have time
to follow it, and they saw it no more.

It was something that many might have passed as a mere incident of the
river, but Henry did not forget it. His sixth sense, the sense of danger,
as it were, had received a definite impression, and he paid heed to the
warning.

That afternoon clouds came up for the first time. It had been very warm on
the river, but the heat and closeness did not develop into a rapid storm
of thunder and lightning as so often happens in the Mississippi valley.
Instead, the air turned colder, and a raw, drizzling rain set it. It was
then that they appreciated the comfort of their well-equipped boats.
Everybody was wrapped up and protected, and they moved steadily on.

Henry and Shif'less Sol, as usual, went ashore later on to seek a landing
place, and a site suitable for a camp, as it was considered wise always to
give the men warm food. Presently they found a fairly well sheltered spot
near the shore, a slope surrounded by high trees, and when Adam Colfax
received the word the boats were tied to the bank. Some tents were pitched
in the opening, and with considerable difficulty the fires were lighted. A
drizzling rain still fell, but the fires finally triumphed over it, and
blazed and crackled merrily. Nevertheless, this lightness and merriment
were not communicated to the men, who shivered in the wet, drew close to
the flames, and had downcast faces. All the five were ashore and in the
shadow of the woods they held a little conference of their own, talking
with great earnestness.

"I think," said Henry, "that we're being watched and that there is danger,
great danger. One never knows what the wilderness contains."

"Suppose that all of us watch the night through," said Paul.

"No," said Henry, "I think, Paul, that you ought to sleep and Long Jim
should do so, too. There are enough without you. To-morrow night will be
your turn. We shouldn't waste our resources."

This satisfied Paul and Jim, and soon they were asleep in one of the
tents, but Henry, Shif'less Sol, and Tom Ross were in the dripping forest
outside Adam Colfax's own line of sentinels, seeking the hidden danger.
The three remained together, and they looked everywhere. They were on the
east bank and there was nothing but forest. The moon lay behind sodden
clouds, and the trees were dark and shadowy. Now and then the wind swept a
dash of rain in their faces, and the air remained raw and chill. Sharp as
were thei