After
reaching the bay they had left the day before they turned to the
east and north as they followed labyrinthic channels that led around
big and little keys in that part of the ten times Ten Thousand
Islands. The work became confusing, the waterways they followed led
them toward every point in the compass. Sometimes a narrowing stream
made them think they had struck a creek which flowed from the
mainland, but always it opened into some small bay filled with
little keys. Late in the afternoon they found a point of land high
enough for a camp, where they spent the night. After they had eaten
their supper, Dick said:

"Johnny, do you know where we are?"

"Nope; bin goin' 'round so fast I've got dizzy."

"You mean we are lost?"

"Yep; but that's nothin' s' long's we don't stay lost."

"What shall we do, and where shall we go?"

"Go anywhere, only stick to it. Got ter do sumpthin; fresh water's
'most gone. Reckon we'd better go 'bout sou'west. We kin find a
river that'll take us t' the coast, 'nd I kin find a way that'll
take us where you wanter go."

An hour's paddling brought the boys to a bay in which were several
pretty keys, on one of which Dick saw a number of beautiful white
birds.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Egrets," said Johnny. "Want ter shoot 'em?"

"Of course not," replied Dick. "It's against the law, and wicked,
besides. They are the loveliest birds there are and never ought to
be killed just for fun."

"We never kill 'em for fun. Only tourists do that. If you Northern
fellers didn't pay us ter git plumes we'd never kill 'em. D'ye
remember that key over there?"

"No. What about it?"

"See that crik by the palmetter 'nd the big stump? Know it now?"

"What! Isn't that the creek we slept in night before last?"

"Sure! 'nd that's where we wanter go now. Them trees that we stopped
fer was cut by our fellers to keep off the Lossman River plume
hunters. We've got ter cut 'em out, er git 'round 'em if 't takes a
week."

"How about water?"

"Find it t'other side o' the crik. I'd rather go without than go
back t' anybody's house fer it."

"But that old shack where we killed the rattler isn't far off, and I
saw a water-barrel under the caves."

"So did I, 'nd a possum floatin' in it, too. That's why I didn't
fill up there. We'll go slow on what we got 'nd do without a day 'r
two, 'nd we'll find some by then if we stick t' anything."

"We're going to stick to things hereafter, Johnny. It w