till in use, makeshifts though they are," said Captain
Newell as he stopped beside them. "But you can't beat the bullboat for
the purpose for which it was first made; that of navigating the
shallower streams. I thought you would be glad to know that we expect to
be under way again early in the morning. But, speaking of bullboats, did
you ever see one, Miss Cooper?"

"I've had them pointed out to me at St. Louis, but at a distance," she
answered. "Somehow they did not impress me enough to cause me to
remember what they looked like."

"Why, I'll show you some," offered Tom eagerly. "There's half a dozen on
the main deck."

Uncle Joe squirmed as he glanced around, and arose to leave for the card
room, but the captain smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that's so, Mr. Boyd. Take a look at them when the rain lets up.
We're always glad to carry a few of them back up the river, for we find
them very handy in lightering cargo in case we have mean shallows that
can be crossed in no other way. You'd be surprised how little water this
boat draws after its cargo is taken ashore."

"But why do they call them bullboats?" asked Patience.

"They're named after the hides of the bull buffalo, which are used for
the covering," explained the captain. "First a bundle of rather heavy
willow poles are fashioned into a bottom and bound together with
rawhide. To this other and more slender willow poles are fastened by
their smaller ends and curved up and out to make the ribs. Then two
heavy poles are bent on each side from stem to stern and lashed to the
ends of the ribs, forming the gunwale. Everything is lashed with rawhide
and not a bolt or screw or nail is used. Hides of buffalo bulls, usually
prepared by the Indians, although the hunters and trappers can do the
work as well, are sewn together with sinew after being well soaked. They
are stretched tightly over the frame and lashed securely to the gun'le,
and they dry tight as drumheads and show every rib. Then a pitch of
buffalo tallow and ashes is worked into the seams and over every
suspicious spot on the hides and the boat is ready. Usually a false
flooring of loosely laid willow poles, three or four inches deep, is
placed in the bottom to prevent the water, which is sure to leak in,
from wetting the cargo. In the morning the boat rides high and draws
only a few inches of water; but often at night there may be six or eight
inches slopping around inside. I doubt if any other kind of a boat ca