just as Blake shot
up, having stayed under as long as he could.

"All right, Blake! Here you are! I'm with you!" cried Joe,
changing his course to bring himself to his chum. "Are you all
right?"

"Yes, except for this cramp. The alligator didn't get near enough
to do any damage. But where is he?"

"Ramo shot him," answered Joe, for he had seen the creature sink
to its death. "You're all right now. Put your hand on my shoulder,
and I'll tow you in."

"Guess you'll have to. I can't seem to swim. I dived down when I
saw how near the beast was getting, thinking I might fool him. I
hated to come up, but I had to," Blake panted.

"Well, you're all right now," Joe assured him, "but it was a close
call. How did it happen?"

"I'm sure I don't know," said Blake, still out of breath from
trying to swim under water. "If I'd known there were alligators in
this river I'd never have gone so far from shore."

"That's right," agreed Joe, looking around as though to make sure
no more of the creatures were in sight.

He saw none. On the shore stood Ramo, the guide, with ready rifle.

"Feel better now?" asked Joe.

"Yes, the cramp seems to be leaving me. I think I went in swimming
too soon after eating those plantains," for they had been given
some of the yellow bananas by a native when they stopped at his
hut for some water. "They upset me," Blake explained. "I was
swimming about, waiting for you to come back and join me, when I
saw what I thought was a log in the water. When it headed for me I
thought it was funny, and then, when I saw what it was, I realized
I'd better be getting back to shore. I tried, but was taken with a
fierce cramp. You heard me just in time."

"Yes," responded Joe, as he and Blake reached water shallow enough
to wade in, "but if it hadn't been for Ramo's gun--well, there
might be a different story to tell."

"And one that wouldn't look nice in moving pictures," Blake went
on with a laugh. "You did me a good turn," he said to Ramo a
little later, as he shook hands with the dusky guide. "I shan't
forget it."

"Oh, it wasn't anything to pop over an alligator that way," Ramo
returned. "I've often done it for sport. Though I will admit I was
a bit nervous this time, for fear of hitting you."

"I wish I had been the one to shoot it," said the Spaniard.

"Why?" asked Joe, as he sat down on the warm sandy bank of the
stream to rest.

"Why, then I should have repaid, in a small measure, the debt I a