f, passed up the rickety walk
to the equally rickety gallery at the foot of the light, we found two
very badly frightened men instead of a single curious one. The keeper
in sooth had in hand a muzzle-loading shotgun of such extreme age,
connected with such extreme length of barrel, as might have led one to
suspect it had grown an inch or so annually for all of many decades.
He was too much frightened to make active resistance, however, and
only warned us away, himself, now, a pale saffron in color.

"Keep hout!" he commanded. "No, you'll didn't!"

"We'll didn't what, my friend?" began I mildly. "Don't you like my
looks? Not that I blame you if you do not. But has the boat brought
down any milk or eggs that you can spare?"

"No milluk--no haig!" muttered the light tender; and they would have
closed the door.

"Come, come now, my friends!" I rejoined testily. "Suppose you
haven't, you can at least be civil. I want to talk with you a minute.
This is the power yacht _Belle Helene_, of Mackinaw, cruising on the
Gulf. We went aground in the storm; and all we want now is to send out
a little mail by you to Morgan City, or wherever you go; and to pass
the time of day with you, as friends should. What's wrong--do you
think us a government revenue boat, and are you smuggling stuff from
Cuba through the light here?"

"We no make hany smug'," replied the keeper. "But we know you, who you
been!"

He smote now upon an open newspaper, whose wrapper still lay on the
floor. I glanced, and this time I saw a half-page cut of the _Belle
Helene_ herself, together with portraits of myself, Mrs. Daniver, Miss
Emory and two wholly imaginary and fearsome boys who very likely were
made up from newspaper portraits of the James Brothers! Moreover, my
hasty glance caught sight of a line in large letters, reading:

TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD!

"Peterson," said I calmly, handing him the paper, "they seem to be
after us, and to value us rather high."

He glanced, his eyes eager; but Peterson, while a professional
doubter, was personally a man of whose loyalty and whose courage I,
myself, had not the slightest doubt.

"Let 'em come!" said he. "We're on our own way and about our own
business; and outside the three mile zone, let 'em follow us on the
high seas if they like. She's sound as a bell, Mr. Harry, and once we
get her docked and her port shaft straight, there's nothing can touch
her on the Gulf. Let 'em come."

"But we can't