t say you're hurt, Neddy."

"No--no--not a--bit. Nothing but--the talk--knocked out of me. Gee!
Wouldn't he make a fine spanking machine?"

Both of the boys were glad when the captain came for them with the
skiff and they were saved a hard swim against the current.

"Where is our alligator?" said Ned to the captain. "Hope you didn't
turn him loose."

"Nope. He's all right. He slipped back into the water when you went
in swimming, and of course I knew you wanted him looked after first,
so I gave his line a turn round the big cleat. When I left he was
trying to pull it out."

When the boys were back on the _Irene_, Molly clung to her brother's
hand, hardly able to speak, while Mr. Barstow said to his son:

"Is that the sort of thing you boys have been doing in your odd
hours when you were not squabbling with panthers or mixing up with
tarpon? I am afraid you need a traveling guardian to look after
you."

A hundred feet was added to the rope that held the alligator and he
was left to pasture in the water until the _Irene_ was ready to
sail, when he was hauled aboard the skiff and lashed there. While he
was being tied he was perfectly tame and peaceful, but, though he
looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, no one trusted him
and even the captain fought shy of his tail.

For two miles from the Glades the river was broad and the
navigation, excepting for many bunches of moss and manatee grass,
was easy. Then came half a mile of a twisting narrow creek, in
places not twice the width of the _Irene_, through which poured
swiftly the whole volume of the big river. At the head of this
creek the captain came to anchor.

"We won't get through this creek without a lot of trouble. The
current will throw us against the bank a dozen times and we haven't
speed to prevent it and couldn't turn the corners if we had. The
launch must go ahead and keep the bow of the big boat out of the
bushes if it can. Then we can't be bothered with the skiff or the
'gator. We'd likely lose both. Somebody must take the launch and tow
the skiff through and then come back, if he can get back, and help
the big boat through. I hate to do it, but we can't tow the skiff
and, of course, it would be torn off of the davits in two minutes.
We are going to scrape the sides and perhaps tear out half the
rigging of the _Irene_, anyhow. Now who volunteers to tow the skiff
through the creek? I can't go because the launch may not be able to
buck the c