to go home in a few days anyway," said Tom; "so the fire
hasn't got very much the better of us."

"But I hate to have everything spoiled, and to have to go in this sort
of way. Our tin pans and fishing-tackle aren't worth much, but all our
spare clothes have gone."

"You've got your uncle's gun in the boat, so that's all right,"
suggested Tom, encouragingly. "As long as the gun and the boat are safe,
we needn't mind about a few flannel shirts and things."

"But it's such a pity to be driven away, when we were having such a
lovely time," continued Harry.

"That's rubbish, Harry," said Joe. "We were all beginning to get tired
of camping out. I think it's jolly to have the cruise end this way, with
a lot of fire-works. It's like the transformation scene at the theatre.
Besides, it saves us the trouble of carrying a whole lot of things back
with us."

"The thing to do now," remarked Tom, "is to row right down to the
outlet, and get a team to take us to Glenn's Falls this afternoon. We
can't sleep here, unless we build a hut, and then we wouldn't have a
blanket to cover us. Don't let's waste any more time talking about it."

"That's so. Take your places in the boat, boys, and we'll start for
home." So saying, Harry led the way to the boat, and in a few moments
the _Whitewing_ was homeward bound.

The boys were lucky enough to find a man who engaged to take them to
Glenn's Falls in time to catch the afternoon train for Albany. They
stopped at the Falls only long enough to see the _Whitewing_ safely on
board a canal-boat, and they reached Albany in time to go down the river
on the night boat.

After a supper that filled the colored waiters with astonishment, the
boys selected arm-chairs on the forward deck, and began to talk over the
cruise. They all agreed that they had had a splendid time, in spite of
hard work and frequent wettings.

"We'll go on another cruise next summer, sure," said Harry. "Where shall
we go?"

Tom was the first to reply. Said he, "I've been thinking that we can do
better than we did this time."

"How so?" asked the other boys.

"The _Whitewing_ is an awfully nice boat," Tom continued, "but she is
too small. We ought to have a boat that we can sleep in comfortably, and
without getting wet every night."

"But then," Harry suggested, "you couldn't drag a bigger boat round a
dam."

"We can't drag the _Whitewing_ round much of a dam. She's too big to be
handled on land, and too little to