o Chris. It's up to you
now to explain this business."

The captain knocked the ashes from the bowl of his pipe before
remarking sagely, "I've noticed as how fish will bite at a good many
kinds of bait, but if you want to make sartin sho' of a boy, thar's
only one bait to use, and that's a good big chunk of mystery."

He glanced around at the suddenly crestfallen faces about him, and
hastened to continue, "Don't look so down, lads. I ain't brought all
of you so fer just for a joke. I just wanted to make sure of you and I
didn't want the town people nosin' around and askin' questions, that's
why I named this meetin' place."

The three faces brightened again. "Go on, Captain, come to the point,"
urged Walter, eagerly.

But the captain was enjoying their suspense, and with a twinkle in his
eye proceeded slowly, "I was sort of loafin' around town one day about
two weeks ago when I come across a Seminole, who, I reckon, had been
sent in by his squaw to trade for red calico and beads," he paused for
a moment and Charley exclaimed impatiently--

"Bother the Indian, we are not bound for the Everglades to fight them,
are we?"

"He was about the drunkest brave I ever saw," continued the captain,
calmly ignoring the interruption. "When I came across him he was
sittin' on the end of a waterin' trough declaimin' what a great Injun
he was, givin' war-whoops, an' cryin' by turns. One of his remarks
sorter interested me and I didn't lose no time in makin' friends.
Lads, I couldn't have stuck no closer to that redskin if he had been my
long lost brother. I kept him away from other folks, an' by an' by I
tipped him into the waterin' trough, kinder accident-like. The water
sorter sobered him up a little an' pretty soon he began to want to hit
the trail for home. I helped him out of town an' started him back for
camp, where, I reckon, his old lady was waitin' to give him fits for
forgettin' the calico and beads." The captain paused as if his tale
was completed.

"For goodness' sake, Captain, what has your drunken Indian got to do
with us?" demanded Charley, his patience at an end.

The captain lowered his voice dramatically. "Lads, that Seminole was
carryin' around on him over five hundred dollars' worth of white and
pink aigret plumes."

"Whew!" whistled the boys, half incredulously.

"Yes," affirmed the captain, "an' I found out where he got them, too.
He let out that he bagged them all out by the Upper St. John's