slumbered in great peace inside. The oars lay beside them. Henry cut the
rope with one sweep of his long-bladed hunting-knife, and then he and
Shif'less Sol sprang into the boat. Each seized a man by the shoulders and
lifted him in his powerful arms. It was a chance that one of the sleepers
was Luiz, and, when he was snatched suddenly from blissful dreams to
somber fact, he opened his eyes to see bending over him the same grave,
tanned being who had rescued him from the raging buffalo.

But it was not a beneficent spirit, because Luiz was tossed bodily the
next moment into three feet of muddy water. He uttered a cry of terror and
despair as he went down, and another Spaniard uttered a similar cry at the
same moment. Both cries were cut off short by mouthfuls of the
Mississippi, but the two Spaniards came up a moment later, and began to
wade hastily to the shore. Each cast a frightened glance behind him, and
saw their boat disappearing on the river's bosom, carrying the two evil
spirits with it.

"I shorely enjoyed that," said Shif'less Sol, as the oars bent beneath his
powerful stroke. "That Spaniard's face as he woke up an' found hisself
whirled out into the Mississippi wuz the funniest thing I ever seed, an' I
had the fun, too, without hurting him. It ain't often, Paul, that you kin
do what you need to do an' be full o' laugh, too, an' so when the time
comes I make the most o' it."

"It was worth seeing," said Henry, "and we've been in great luck, too.
There, hear 'em! They've got the water out of their mouths and are giving
tongue again! Pull, Sol! Pull!"

Loud shouts came from the sentinels who had risen from their bath and it
was followed by cries in the Spanish camp. Torches flared, there was the
sound of running footsteps, and dusky figures appeared at the river's
bank.

"Pull, Sol! Pull!" exhorted Henry again. "We're not yet out of range!"

Shots were fired and bullets pattered on the water but none reached the
boat. They heard angry cries, imprecations, and they saw one figure
apparently giving commands, which they were sure was that of Francisco
Alvarez.

"Now if they had our Kentucky rifles and real marksmen," said Shif'less
Sol, "they could pick you an' me off without any trouble. Thar's light
enough. But with them old bell-mouthed muskets they can't do much. No,
Henry, we're bold pirates on the high seas an' we've been an' took a
Spanish gall-yun--ain't that what they call their treasure ships? 'Pe