ike I've heard you tell a shell used to do when it
dropped into a dugout over in the Argonne."

As they lay there taking things easy, the heavens in the east assumed a
most wonderful range of various delicate tints that made even Perk gasp
with admiration. Birds started singing, mocking birds and cardinals
among others, crows could be heard cawing close by as though there might
be a hidden bird roost not far distant. This was corroborated later on
when streams of white egrets flew past, scattering to find their morning
meal.

So, too, circling buzzards could be seen far above as they searched for
signs of a feast in the shape of a dead fish cast ashore on some sandbar
or mudbank--a heavy plunge not far away told of a monster alligator that
had been lying asleep on some log, taking a dive as he noticed the
presence of two-legged human enemies whom he had reason to suspect of
designs on his life.

"How about a little grub for a change, partner?" demanded Perk, after
they had been talking for quite some time.

"I reckon it wouldn't come amiss," admitted Jack; "but if you've got any
idea of starting a fire and making coffee, better throw that overboard
right away, for in the first place you'd find it a hard job to run
across any solid ground among all these mangrove islands and then
besides it might not be the wisest thing going to send up a column of
smoke to attract attention to this quarter. Get that do you, Perk?"

"Y--es," admitted the other, with a disconsolate shrug of his shoulders
as if he had no liking for the scheme being thus tabooed, "s'pose it's
jest like you put it, Jack, though I own up I was hopin' we might make a
pot o' coffee. Just the same we got plenty o' fresh water along, even if
it is sorter warm an' coffee'd taste just prime, but I c'n stand
anything when necessity drives. So let's get our teeth in some eats
without botherin' further, 'cause I'm half starved an' them sandwiches'd
go fine."

Accordingly they started operations, Perk clambering aboard the
amphibian to fish out the package of "eats", he knowing best where it
had been secreted on the previous evening after they had supper near
this same spot.

As they munched their dry food they continued to talk, finding plenty of
subjects bearing on their work that would be the better for further
study.

"There's only one way we can arrange things so as to keep our clutch on
the spoils we've rustled so far and do our duty according to orders