re the fire.

The boys were so glad to see him that they first laughed and then cried
almost, while the miller and his wife looked on in wonder.

Nugget took things very coolly.

"Where did you fellows spend the night?" he asked, after the first
greetings were over.

"Where did _you_ spend it?" exclaimed Ned. "You gave us a pretty scare,
Nugget. We never expected to see you again."

"Let him spin his yarn while you're eating breakfast," interrupted the
miller. "Lizzie, set three more plates out."

A moment later the boys were attacking the food with keen appetites, and
as Nugget was now through, he proceeded to relate his adventures.

"When the wind came up and separated us," he began, "I got pretty badly
scared. I was afraid it would rain hard, so I took out my canvass apron
and buttoned it over the cockpit, close up to my waist."

"Good for you!" said Ned. "If I'm not mistaken that was what saved you."

"Perhaps it was," resumed Nugget. "I paddled on for a little while,
trying to find you fellows. All at once I heard an awful roar, and the
canoe made a jump as though it was going to stand on end. I gave one
yell, and the next thing I knew big waves were jumping all around me."

He paused to shiver at the recollection.

"And what then?" asked Randy breathlessly.

"Then I was more scared than ever," continued Nugget in a reluctant
voice. "So I crawled under the apron and snuggled up in the cockpit.
There was plenty of room, and the cushion made a nice soft pillow,
and--and--I fell asleep."

"Fell asleep!" ejaculated Ned in amazement. "You don't mean it?"

"Why, yes," said Nugget. "I was awfully tired, you know, and I couldn't
keep my eyes open. The next thing I remember is that man there helping
me out. It was daylight, and the canoe was in a little channel with
thick bushes all around."

The boys were not slow to appreciate the ludicrous side of Nugget's
adventure, and they laughed long and heartily.

Then the miller told how he found the canoe in a stretch of back water
that ran a few yards in from the creek, and how surprised he was when he
pulled the apron off the cockpit and saw Nugget fast asleep.

"I noticed that inlet," said Ned, "but I didn't see anything of the
canoe."

"Because I pulled it out in the bushes," replied the miller. "The
current has a natural drift toward the place, and clogs it up with
rubbish sometimes. The lad had a narrow squeeze of it when he went
through that hole in t