swer that those near him clapped hands over
ears.

Then came Melvin, more sea-wise than the other lads, saying:

"I've been fumbling around and there are some poles lashed outside the
rail. Let's unsheath 'em, but it'll take us all to keep them from
tumbling over."

"That's so! You're right! When Pop had this boat built he was told to
provide for all sorts of things. The engine going broke was the last
notion he had, but he had the poles made to please Mommer. I know--I
mean--I guess I do--how they use 'em, but they're mighty heavy."

It was Captain Hurry who again came to the front. In a twinkling he
had inspected the stout poles and explained, that by putting one end
of each down through the water till it reached the bottom, the
house-boat could not only be held steady but could be propelled.

"It's slow but it's safe an' easy, Ma'am," he informed Mrs. Calvert.

"Then it's the very thing, the only thing, we want," she answered,
promptly. "I never did believe in that engine in the hands of an
amateur."

Jim didn't fancy this reflection on his skill, believing that he
already knew as much about machinery as an expert did and that he had
mastered all that John Stinson could teach him. However, he was beyond
reach of the beloved little engine now and the first thing to do was
to bring the two boats together again.

Under Cap'n Jack's direction this was promptly done; and great was old
Ephraim's rejoicing when, at last, the familiar gang-plank was once
more in place and he had crossed over it to his beloved mistress's
presence.

"T'ank de Lord, Miss Betty, you didn't get sca'ed to death! I sutney
beliebed we was all gwine to de bottom of de ribbah! An' I was plumb
scan'lized ter t'ink o' yo' po' li'l white body all kivvered wid mud,
stidder lyin' in a nice, clean tomb lak yo' oughter. I----"

"That'll do, Ephraim. I'll take all the rest you were going to say for
granted. Here, Metty, sit down in that corner and keep still. You're
safe now and--are you hungry?"

The morning light was rapidly increasing and seen by it the little
black face looked piteous indeed. But there were few troubles of
Methuselah's which "eatings" couldn't cure; so his mistress promptly
dispatched Dorothy to her stateroom for a big box of candy, brought
along "in case of need." Never would need be more urgent than now, and
not only did the little page's countenance brighten, when the box
appeared, but everybody else dipped into it as eag