en here, and Cap'n Cod went up into the town as soon as
they arrived to have some bills printed. Winn, at the same time,
started along the water-front to search for traces of his lost raft;
and Sabella, who was very fond of dogs, went aboard the wharf-boat to
make the acquaintance of a fine bull-dog she had noticed there as they
passed.

At supper-time they all gathered again in the living-room of the
_Whatnot_, where Sabella reported her new friend to be the most
splendid bull-dog she had ever seen, and that his name was Bim.

This name at once attracted Winn's attention, and he said he had an
uncle somewhere out in California who owned a dog named Bim. Then the
boy reported that nothing had been seen or heard of his raft, though he
did not tell them he had discovered Sheriff Riley's skiff.

Cap'n Cod remarked that if he could only claim all the rewards he had
just seen offered, he could afford to run the _Whatnot_ by steam.
"There is one of a thousand dollars," he said, "for any information
that will lead to the capture of a gang of counterfeiters, supposed to
be operating in this vicinity. Then there is one of a hundred dollars
for the arrest of the fellow who ran off with Sheriff Riley's skiff,
and who is supposed to be a member of the same gang. There is still
another, of an equal amount, for any information as to the whereabouts,
if he is still living, or for the recovery of the body of a boy named
Caspar, the only son of my old friend, Major John Caspar, of Caspar's
Mill, in Wisconsin. He has disappeared most unaccountably, together
with a raft owned by his father. By-the-way, his first name is the
same as your last one, which is a little odd, for Winn is not a common
name. That's what it is, though, 'Winn Caspar.'"

CHAPTER XIX.

A CURIOUS COMPLICATION.

"So that is what I was arrested for, is it?" thought Winn. "I was
supposed to be one of a gang of counterfeiters, and a pretty desperate
sort of a character. That will be a pretty good joke to tell father.
But I wonder who is offering a reward for me as plain every-day Winn
Caspar, besides the one that would be paid for the young counterfeiter
who ran off with the Sheriff's boat?"

This is what Winn thought. What he said was, "My! but that is a lot of
money! Wouldn't it be fine if we could earn those twelve hundred
dollars?"

"Indeed it would," answered the old man. "Even one of the smaller
rewards would buy us a mule."

"Who is off