gling, and then Harry
felt himself dropping from a height. The next moment the deep waters of
the Kentucky closed over the two, still locked fast in a deadly combat,
and the waves circled away in diminishing height from the spot where
they had sunk.

CHAPTER IX

THE RIVER JOURNEY

"Best pour a little of this down his throat. It'll cut an' burn,
but if there's a spark o' life left in him it'll set it to blazin'."

Harry became conscious of the "cutting" and "burning," and, struggling
weakly, he sat up.

"That's better," continued the deep, masculine voice. "You've been
layin' on your face, lettin' the Kentucky River run out of your mouth,
while we was poundin' you on the back to increase the speed o' the
current. It's all out o' you now, an' you're goin' to keep your young
life."

The man who spoke was standing almost over Harry, holding a flask in one
hand and a lantern in the other. He was obviously a mountaineer, tall,
with powerful chest and shoulders, and a short red beard. Near him
stood a stalwart boy about Harry's own age. They were in the middle of
a raft which had been pulled to the south side of the Kentucky and then
tied to the shore.

Harry started to speak, but the words stopped at his lips. His weakness
was still great.

"Wa'al," said the man, whimsically. "What was it? Sooicide? Or did
you fall in the river, bein' awkward? Or was you tryin' to swim the
stream, believin' it was fun to do it? What do you think, Ike?"

"It wasn't no sooicide," replied the youth whom he had called Ike.
"Boys don't kill theirse'ves. An' it wasn't no awkwardness, 'cause he
don't look like the awkward kind. An' I guess he wasn't tryin' to swim
the Kentucky, else he would have took off his clothes."

"Which cuts out all three o' my guesses, leavin' me nothin' to go on.
Now, I ain't in the habit of pickin' floatin' an' unconscious boys out
o' the middle o' the river, an' that leaves me in unpleasant doubt,
me bein' of an inquirin' turn o' mind."

"It was murder," said Harry, at last finding strength to speak.

"Murder!" exclaimed the man and boy together.

"Yes, murder, that is, an attempt at it. A man set upon me to kill me,
and in the struggle we fell in the river, which, with your help, saved
my life. Look here!"

He tore open his coat and shirt, revealing his chest, which looked like
pounded beef.

"Somebody has shorely been gettin' in good hard licks on you," said the
man sympathe