t for miles, and houses and barns carried off to
nobody knew where over night."

"Well, I don't think the launch would tie up at the levee, do you?"

"It is not likely. I have an idea those fellows will try to get down
to New Orleans."

After that an hour passed without anything unusual happening. Twice
they passed river steamboats, one of them sweeping quite close to
the houseboat.

"Why don't you put out more lights--want to be run down?" came the cry.

"Haven't any more lights," answered Tom, and then the two boats swept
apart, so no more could be said.

A mile more was passed when Fred set up a cry:

"I see a light ahead, flashing from side to side," he said, and
pointed it out.

"It is the acetylene gas lamp," ejaculated Harold Bird, "and it must
be aboard of the launch!"

CHAPTER XI

WHAT THE ROCKETS REVEALED

All of those on board of the houseboat watched the flashing light
with keen interest. That it came from the gasoline launch none of
them doubted.

"If we can only catch up to them," said Tom. "And do it on the sly!"

"We want to be on guard--they may be ready to do some shooting,"
returned Sam.

"Does you dink da vill shoot?" inquired Hans, anxiously.

"I don't think they will kill more than three or four of us," answered
Tom, by way of a joke.

"Vat?" screamed Hans. "Not me, by chiminatics! I ton't vos vant to
been shot dree oder seven dimes alretty!"

"I doubt if they'll do any shooting," answered Harold Bird.

"I can't believe that," said Dick, with a shake of his head. "That
Sack Todd is a bad one, and Baxter can be very wicked at times. We
certainly want to be on guard against any underhanded work."

The launch had been running somewhat across the river, but was now
headed straight down the Mississippi.

"We don't seem to be gaining," said Fred, after a silence of several
minutes. "It appears to be just as far ahead as when we first saw it."

"We are certainly not gaining much," answered the young Southerner.
"But I think we are gaining a little."

Harold Bird was right, they were gaining probably one rod in twenty.
Thus, in a little over half an hour, they saw that the launch was
almost within hailing distance. The acetylene gas light was thrown
ahead and to the right and left, and lit up the surface of the river
for a considerable distance. Against the rays of the lamp they could
make out four persons in the launch.

"They must be the four we are after," said Dick. "