right out of the ground in many southern
swamps. Each leaf is simply a palm leaf fan that needs ironing out
flat, except that the edge consists of long points which are cut off
in making the fans.

Sam cut two forked sticks and drove them in the ground about ten feet
from the fallen tree trunk, and about ten feet apart. When driven in
they were about five feet high, while the top of the trunk was perhaps
eight feet from the ground. Cutting a long, straight pole, Sam laid it
in the forks of his two stakes, parallel with the tree trunk. Then
taking the canes he laid them from this pole to the top of the tree
trunk, for rafters, placing them as close to each other as possible.
On top of them he laid the palmete leaves, taking care to lap them
over each other like shingles. When the roof was well covered with
them, he made the boys bring some armfuls of the long gray moss which
abounds in southern forests, and lay it on top of the roof, to hold
the palmete leaves in place, and to prevent them from blowing away.
For sides to the house bushes answered very well, and in less than an
hour after the company halted, they were safely housed in a shed open
only on the side toward the fire, and the ground within was rapidly
drying, while supper was in course of preparation.

"Sam," said Tom presently.

"Well," answered Sam.

"What did you dig that big ditch for? a little one would have carried
off all the water that'll drip from the roof."

"Yes, but I dug this one to carry off other water than that."

"What water?"

"That which was already in the ground that the house is built on. You
see this soil is largely composed of sand, and water runs out of it
very rapidly if it has anywhere to run to. I made the ditch for it to
run into, and if you'll examine the ground here you'll find that my
trench is doing its work very well indeed."

"That's a fac'," said Sid Russell, feeling of the sand.

"I say Sam," said Billy Bowlegs, squaring himself before Sam, with
arms akimbo.

"Well, say it then," replied Sam, laughing, and assuming a similar
attitude.

"If there is any little thing, about any sort o' thing, that you don't
happen to know, I wish you'd just oblige me by telling me what it is."

"I haven't time, Billy," laughed Sam, "the list of things I don't know
is too long to begin this late in the evening."

"Well, you've made me feel like an idiot every day since we started on
this tramp, by knowing all about things, and