hiding
place. Of course, Doss knew best, and they quit the tumbling Mississippi
for the quiet wooded aisle of the little river.

When they emerged, two days later, Augustus Carline could well thank his
stars, though he did not know it, that he was still on the boat. All
unconscious of the real nature and habits of river rats he had given the
little wretch a thousand opportunities to commit one of the many crimes
he had in mind. But he developed a reluctance to choose the easiest one,
when from hint after hint he understood that a mere river piracy and
murder would be folly in view of the opportunity for a more profitable
stake which a man of means offered.

As he steered by the government boat which was surveying Plum Point
bars, Doss showed his teeth like an indignant cat. Five or six miles
below he offered the supine and helpless Carline the information:

"There's Yankee Bar. We'll swing wide and land in below, so's not to
scare up any geese or ducks that may be roosting there."

Eagerly Doss searched through the switch willows for a glimpse of the
setback of the water beyond the bar. Away down in the old eddy he
discovered a shanty-boat, and to cover his involuntary exclamation of
satisfaction he said:

"Shucks! There's somebody theh. I hoped we'd have it to ourselves but
they may be sports, too. If they are, we'll sure have a good time. Some
of these shanty-boaters are great sports. We'll soon find out!"

He steered into the eddy and the two men stepped out on the flat boat's
deck to greet them.

"Seems like I've seen them before," Doss said in a low voice; "I believe
they're old timers. Hello, boys! Hunting?"

"Yes, suh! Lots of game. Sho, ain' yo' Doss, Ren Doss?"

"You bet. I knew you! I told Mr. Carline, here, that I knew you, that
I'd seen you before! I'm glad to see you boys again. Catch a line
there."

No doubt about it, they were old friends. In a minute they were shaking
hands all around, then went into the shanty-boat, and they sat down in
assorted chairs, and Doss, Jet, and Cope exchanged the gossip of a river
year.

Carline's eyes searched about him with interest, and the three men
watched him more and more openly. When he walked toward the bow of the
boat, where the slope of the yellow sand led up to the woods of Flower
Island, one of them casually left his seat and followed.

Carline looked at the stand of guns in the cabin corner and started
with surprise. He reached and picked up one