."

"Let us harness the horse into the wagon, then, at any rate," said
Marco, "and then we shall be all ready."

"We can do that," said the boy.

So they harnessed the horse into the wagon, and the boy led the horse
around to the door. Marco, who was quite impatient to go, got into the
wagon, and sat waiting. The man came in about twenty minutes, and when
he heard a statement of the case, he said that his boy might go and take
Marco back to the mill.

It was now so late that Marco began to be seriously afraid that the
steamboat might have gone. He was very impatient to have the horse go as
fast as possible; and he watched at every turn in the road which gave
him a view of the river, hoping to get a glimpse at the boat. He
wondered whether Forester was still at the tavern, or whether he had
come out in pursuit of him. After wearying himself with conjectures,
which were all in vain, he suddenly came to a view of the river opposite
the mill. The steamboat, to his great joy, was in its place; but there
was a black column of smoke issuing from the smoke-pipe.

"They are firing up," said Marco, "I verily believe."

"What do you mean by that?" said the boy.

"Why, building up the fires," said Marco, "to set the engine a-going.
They call it firing up."

Just at this moment there broke forth a loud and hoarse hissing from the
steam-pipe, and a dense column of white vapor began to ascend, which
mingled its snowy volumes, in a beautiful manner, with the dark masses
of the smoke.

"They are blowing off the steam," said Marco.

"What does that mean?" asked the boy.

"Why, that they have got the steam up, and are letting off a little of
it, while they are waiting for something. Perhaps they are waiting for
us. Drive on as fast as you can."

A moment after this, the sound of the steam suddenly ceased, and the
great paddle wheels, on the sides of the boat, began slowly to revolve.

"They are trying to get her off," said Marco. "I _do hope_ they can't
start her. Drive on; drive on as fast as you can."

They were, at this time, upon the top of a hill which commanded a fine
view of the river, and of the scenery upon its banks. The mill was
before them, too, in full view. But Marco was too much engaged in
watching the movements of the boat to regard the scenery. The boy drove
rapidly down the hill. They reached the mill in a very few minutes, and
drove down to the bank of the river, by a road which led to the water, a
sho