wuz wuth their knowin'. An' then it goes on to Spain an' France an'
Germany, whar they talk all them useless tongues, an' after a while it
takes a whirl clean 'roun' Africa an' Asia, an' sees goodness knows what,
an' then goes slippin' off to see islands in oceans that I ain't ever
heard tell on. Jumpin' Jehoshaphat but ain't that a movin' an' stirrin'
life fur ye!"

Sol drew a deep breath and Paul looked at him with shining eyes.

"You've said a good deal of what I was thinking, Sol," he said, "but for
which I couldn't find words."

"We're likely to travel with the river for a while," said Tom Ross, "an'
we must purvide a way."

"We'll do it soon," said Henry.

They camped that night in a dense grove near the bank but they built no
fire. After midnight Henry and Shif'less Sol slipped away and went
northward.

"'Bout four miles on we'll strike them Spaniards," said the shiftless one.

It was a close calculation, as at the end of the four miles they saw the
light of a fire flaring through the trees and bushes and knew that they
had come upon Alvarez and his men. Their camp lay on rather low ground
beside a little bay of the Mississippi, and the keen eyes of the two
woodsmen saw at once that the force of Alvarez had been increased.

"He's got about seventy men whar he had about fifty afore," said Shif'less
Sol as they crept nearer.

"They came on boats as I thought," replied Henry, "and he left a
detachment here with the boats, while he went across country. Maybe he was
on an exploring expedition or something of that kind, when Braxton Wyatt
overtook him with his proposition."

Sol looked at Henry and Henry looked at Sol. A ray of moonlight fell upon
their tanned and stern faces. Then as they looked a twinkle appeared in
the eye of each. The twinkle deepened and the two broke simultaneously
into a soundless laugh.

"We want one of those boats," said Henry.

"We shorely do," said Shif'less Sol.

"We need it in the course of our duty," said Henry.

"We jest can't git along without it," said Shif'less Sol.

"It will be much easier floating down the middle of the Mississippi in a
boat than it will be walking along the bank all the way."

"It will shorely save the feet, an' give a feller time to think, while the
current's doin' the work. It jest suits a lazy man like me."

Again they broke simultaneously into a laugh that contained no sound, but
which was full of mirth.

"It's taking what doesn't belong t