to his fate.

Still Jack distrusted him and meant to keep an eye on him pretty much
all the time, until an opportunity came to hand them over to the
authorities.

It was now about midnight. Both boys were tired, but too excited to
think of doing much in the way of sleeping. So Jack laid out the
balance of the night in watches, and during the six hours remaining he
and Jimmie managed to pick up a little rest; though when morning came
both of them were feeling, as Josh Purdue would have said, "pretty
punk."

They managed to get breakfast, and both of the men were fed after a
fashion, although the cautious Jack would take few chances of allowing
them to have their hands free.

At eight o'clock the little _Tramp_ put out of the cove, and once more
breasted the brawling Mississippi flood that moved ceaselessly
southward.

Jack kept near the Tennessee shore for many reasons. He wished to get
rid of the two prisoners as soon as he could, and meant to go ashore
when he came to the first good-sized town, where he had reason to
believe the captured robbers would be properly taken care of, and the
recovered valuables placed safely, awaiting the claim of the bank
authorities.

On the afternoon of the preceding day they had heard many faint reports
as of guns. Jack had looked the matter up, and was inclined to believe
that these must be caused by duck hunters in the sloughs around
Reelfoot Lake. Occasionally they saw flocks of water fowl on the sand
bars; and Jimmie was wild for a chance to secure one for a meal.

"All in good time," laughed Jack, as the other kept asking why he did
not try to pot some of the game. "We've got our hands full, as it is,
Jimmie. Just wait until we lighten our load, and then you'll find me
ready for sport."

Truth to tell, Jack had too great a load on his mind to think of
pleasure. Until he had handed the prisoners and the plunder over to
the authorities he felt in no humor for fun. Nor might it be a wise
thing to have an empty gun along, even for a brief period of time. The
ugly way one of the men looked at him every little while kept Jack
constantly on the anxious seat; and he feared lest there might be some
unpleasant surprise sprung on himself and Jimmie.

But noon came without their having made up their minds what to do.

"We're getting close to Covington," Jack remarked, after a bit, when
Jimmie proposed that they have a cold snack. "And perhaps we can
lighten ship there.