ssary to
invest so largely in weapons of defence; and on their hinting this
surprise, the boy who purchased the articles said, with a careless,
business-like air:

"O, we 've got to travel a good many hundred miles, and there 's no
knowing what rough fellows we may fall in with. But give me a good
revolver and dirk, and I bet I will take care of myself, anywhere."

The seriousness with which this brave language was uttered by a boy
scarcely yet in his teens, would have made even Alfred and Oscar smile,
but for the consciousness of the new knives in their pockets.

It was now quite dark, and on coming to a street which led more
directly towards his home, Oscar left the other boys, with the promise
of seeing them again Monday morning.

CHAPTER V.

THE YOUNG TRAVELLERS.

The Sabbath came, and a fine autumnal day it was. Oscar's thoughts
were with Alfred, and the boys whose acquaintance he had made the
afternoon previous; but there was little chance for him to join them in
their walks on that day. He could not absent himself from church or
the Sunday-school, without his parents' knowledge; and Mr. Preston had
always decidedly objected to letting the children stroll about the
streets on the Sabbath. Oscar felt so uneasy, however, that in the
afternoon, a little while before meeting-time, he left the house slyly,
while his father was upstairs, and walked around to Alfred's. But he
saw nothing of the boys, and was in his accustomed seat in the church
when the afternoon services commenced.

The next morning, Oscar rose earlier than usual, and as soon as he
could despatch his breakfast, he hurried over to the hotel. The
travellers had concluded to defer their journey one day longer, that
they might have a better opportunity to see Boston; and when Oscar
approached them, they were trying to persuade Alfred to stay away from
school, and accompany them in their rambles. They immediately extended
the same invitation to Oscar. Both he and Alfred felt very much
inclined to accede to their proposition, but they were pretty sure that
it would be useless to ask their parents' consent to absent themselves
from school for such a purpose. The point to be settled was, whether
it would be safe to play truant for the day. Seeing that they
hesitated, the oldest boy, whose name was Joseph, began to urge the
matter still more earnestly.

"What are you afraid of?" he said; "come along, it's no killing affair
to stay away