g-office, and towards this Billy Brackett
directed his steps, after learning at what hour the next down-river
boat was expected. Here he spent some time in composing a small
circular, of which he ordered five hundred copies to be struck off, and
distributed broadcast. His boat came along and he had to leave before
this was ready for press; but he had engaged the services of his new
acquaintance the night-watchman, who promised to place the bills
wherever they would do good.

Poor Bim, tied up on the wharf-boat, and nearly heart-broken at his
master's desertion, was also left in charge of this man. Billy
Brackett was desirous of establishing friendly relations with the
raftsmen when he should overtake them, and feared that would be
impossible in case they should recognize him. This they would
certainly do if he were accompanied by the bull-dog, whom one of them
at least had reason to remember so well.

At another small landing, nearly a hundred miles farther down the
river, Messrs. Gilder, Grimshaw, and Plater were rendered somewhat
uneasy, late on the following day, by the appearance on board their
raft of a young man who asked questions. Billy Brackett had
experienced considerable difficulty in finding this raft, and was
greatly disappointed that his search in this direction should prove
fruitless. The raftsmen had never heard of Major Caspar, nor of Winn
Caspar, his son. They were lumbermen from far up on the Wisconsin
River, and were taking this raft to New Orleans as a speculation. They
knew nothing of Sheriff Riley or his skiff. Yes, they had picked up an
empty skiff two days before, but it had been taken away and another
left in its place by a young fellow with a dog, who had boarded their
raft without invitation, set his dog on one of them, and then skipped.
They would like to meet that party again--yes, they would--and they'd
make things pretty lively for him.

Then they began asking questions in turn, and assuming such a hostile
tone that Billy Brackett concluded he might as well leave then as
later. So, after asking them to keep a sharp lookout for a raft with
three "shanties," two of which were filled with wheat, he bade them
good-evening, and started back up the river by rail.

In the mean time the _Whatnot_ had reached the town to which he was
returning, and was now tied up just below the wharf-boat. It had been
decided that the first exhibition of the "Floating Panoramic Show"
should be giv