go!" repeated the girl mockingly. "Only question is
whether she will let you go. But I thought you said it was business.
That isn't business; it's fun. We choose the small boat and the
crocodiles. That will be new. I know all about the _Gypsey_ now."

"Shall we let it go at that, Dick?"

"Sure. Wonder if we can find my crocodile again."

CHAPTER XXIII

MOLLY AND THE MANATEE

A week later the party of five (for both Molly and Dick insisted
that Tom belonged) was sailing down the coast in the _Irene_, a half
houseboat with auxiliary engine, which was sailed by Captain Hull.
An engineer and a darky cook had been engaged, but the three young
folks held a meeting and then announced that Dick had been elected
engineer and Molly chief cook, with Ned as assistant. They added
that the man engineer and the darky could "go bounce." When they
notified Mr. Barstow of the result of the meeting he told them to
see Captain Hull and that if they could stand their own cooking and
engineering he thought the captain and himself might manage to live
through it.

The captain grimly assented; said that he had been wondering where
he could sleep his cook when it rained; that Dick couldn't be a
worse engineer than the one he had engaged, and that he hoped he
would keep sober more of the time than the other one was in the
habit of doing.

The _Irene_ was of less than three feet draft, and towed or carried
on her davits a small launch and a skiff. Excepting when the wind
was especially favorable, the sails were kept furled, and an awning
stretched above the cabin-top made of it a pleasant lounging place.
When the _Irene_ was opposite the mouth of Broad and Rodgers rivers,
the whole party, including Tom, who kept beside Dick, were sitting
on the cabin roof, and Mr. Barstow said to his son, as he pointed to
Broad River:

"Is that the river where you caught your phantom manatee, that
wasn't there when you brought a fisherman to get it? You know the
story is all over Myers that you saw a porpoise and imagined the
rest. How was it, Ned?"

"Yon've made a lot of fun of me, Dad, and Molly has bothered the
life out of Dick about that manatee ghost. Now, if you will let Dick
and me boss this boat for three days, no questions to be asked,
we'll show you a sure-enough manatee and give some folks a chance to
think up real handsome apologies."

"But supposing you don't make good?"

"Then Dick and I will do a whole lot of kow-towing ours