ew days before. Finally Ned stood in front of his companion, and
with his help the reptile was dragged up Dick's back with its
forepaws on his shoulder. Dick hung onto the paws, in spite of the
sloshing about of his pet's tail for about a quarter of a mile, when
he dumped it on the ground and addressing it, said:

"There! You uneasy little cuss, you've got to walk. I don't mind
your wiggling your tail, but you tickle my ribs with your hind claws
and you pound my head with your hard old jaws. Now come along
straight, or instead of being toted you'll get a lickin'."

When they reached camp Dick staked the pet out with a line long
enough to let it get into the river when it chose. He took the rope
from its jaws, leaving them free, and the 'gator never took
advantage of it by trying to bite. At first the pet got very much
excited when he was dragged out of the water and up on land, but
after awhile he got used to it and seemed to almost enjoy it. Dick
caught fish for his pet which always refused to eat them. Then Dick
cut the fish in pieces and while Ned held the little 'gator, stuffed
them in its mouth and then held its jaws together till it swallowed
its food.

"See the baby 'gator sit up, Ned," said Dick one day, after he had
been training it for some time. "I'll have him eating with a fork
and drinking from a cup in a week."

[Illustration: "SEE THE BABY 'GATOR SIT UP, NED!"]

CHAPTER XIV

ENCOUNTER WITH OUTLAWS

One day, just after the boys had returned from an unsuccessful hunt
for deer and Dick was at his usual occupation of training his pet,
they heard the sound of oars, and a skiff, rowed by a man who looked
like a product of the swamp, landed beside the camp.

"Kin you fellers let me have a little salt to save my hides? 'Gators
are pretty thick 'nd my salt's gi'n out."

"We have only about a bushel of salt, but you can have half; yes, we
can spare you three-quarters of it. We only use it for specimens and
there'll be enough left for us," said Ned.

"That's mighty kind o' you, 'nd I won't fergit it, tho' that won't
be any use t' you, bein's ye ain't likely t' see me ag'in."

"Why not? You go to Myers, I suppose. We might meet you there and
we'd be glad to see you."

"Thar's other folks 'd be glad t' see me thar, perticiler the
sheriff. Ain't you fellers skeered, now yer know yer talkin' t' an
outlaw?"

"Not much," laughed Ned. "If you are an outlaw you have probably
had all the trouble you