shifting water and floating debris, that the searchlight
disclosed ahead of the laboring boat.

"But nothing must tempt us to obey; no matter if they send volleys
aboard. The distance is too far for them to do much damage; and I hear
they are as a rule pretty punk shooters."

Felipe may hardly have known what that word meant, but he could give a
guess.

"But sometimes, young senor, they even have cannon!" he remarked.

"You don't say!" ejaculated Andy, in new alarm; but he quickly caught
himself, and went on. "Let 'em try it then. We'll just shut off the
searchlight, and take our chances for a while with the old floaters on
the river. Then perhaps they won't see anything to bang away
at. Anyhow, just make up your mind, Felipe, we don't haul in, not while
the blessed old tub keeps above water."

"It is good to hear such brave talk," said the old pilot,
chuckling. "Me, I will keep going straight ahead, no matter what comes,
until I have the order from you to turn the boat. Yes, let them shoot,
senor. After all, I do not believe they could hit the side of a palace
in this dark."

All the same Andy thought he ought to arouse his cousin, and make Frank
aware of the new threatening peril.

On hearing the facts, Frank agreed with all the one on guard said, even
to being ready to extinguish the useful searchlight when the critical
moment arrived.

"We'll just have to take chances, that's all," he declared. "Even if we
came swat up against one of those floaters, that's no reason we'd be
snagged and sunk. They make these boats pretty strong, over there across
the big pond, and I guess our hull could stand a hard punch."

"Yes," remarked Andy, feeling easier, now that Frank was on deck, ready
to take matters in his able hands; "and after all, it's a choice between
two bad things, in which we pick out the lesser. Hang the old
insurrectoes, I say! Why can't they just pay attention to their own
business, and let us two peaceful Bird boys alone?"

"Well," laughed his chum, "you know how it is yourself, when you want
something pretty hard. And they've got the notion in their stubborn
heads that if they only had a modern, up-to-date aeroplane, they could
just make the miserly old government come to terms instanter. Don't
blame them too much, Andy. Maybe you and I would do the same thing--if
we were Colombians, and on the outs."

"Looks to me like there was something like a fire ahead, Frank!"
declared Andy, right at that j