e true church.

Why should I trouble myself to save the lumber? It would cost a deal of
hard labor, and Captain Fishley would be the only gainer. I decided at
once not to waste my time for his benefit, and was on the point of
detaching the mischievous stick which had seduced all the others, when I
heard a voice calling my name. I was rather startled at first, thinking
it might be one of my tyrants in search of me.

"Buck!" shouted the voice again; and I was satisfied it was not that of
either of my oppressors. I could not see through the dense thicket of
the swamp; but another repetition of the call assured me it came from
Sim Gwynn, my fellow-navigator in the swamp.

"Come here, Buck--will you?" said he, when I had answered his summons.

"I'm coming, Sim!" I shouted.

I plied the pole vigorously, and soon propelled the raft to the place
where he stood.

"I saw you come down here, Buck; and I waited for you a while," said he,
stepping upon the raft at my invitation.

"Why didn't you sing out before, then?"

"I thought you'd be coming back," he replied, with more embarrassment
in his manner than the circumstances seemed to warrant.

"Where do you want to go, Sim?" I asked, as I pushed off again.

"Anywhere; it don't make any difference to me now where I go," he
answered, shaking his head.

"Why, what is the matter? Are you not at work now?"

"Not to-day. I've been waiting to see you, Buck."

"What for?"

"I left off work yesterday."

"What's up?"

"I wanted to see you, Buck."

He talked and acted very strangely, and I was sure something unusual had
happened. He lived with a farmer by the name of Barkspear, who had the
reputation of being the stingiest man in Torrentville, if not in the
county. Sim was a great, stout, bow-legged fellow, as good-natured as
the day was long. He always looked as though he had recently escaped
from the rag-bag, with its odds and ends sticking to him. Though he
always looked fat and hearty, he frequently complained that he could
not get enough to eat at Barkspear's.

"What's the matter, Sim? Why don't you tell me what has happened?" I
continued.

"I wanted to see you, Buck," he repeated, for the fourth time.

"What do you want to see me for?"

"Well, I thought I wanted to see you," said he, fumbling his fingers
together, and looking into the water, instead of in my face.

"You do see me," I added, impatiently, beginning to have a suspicion
that he had lost his sens