er Horatio's violin.

"Shed 'em!" he shouted. "Shed them clothes or I'll shoot!"

"Shed 'em!" echoed Bo. "Shed 'em, Horatio!"

The bear slipped off the coat and flung it behind him.

"Shed 'em!" shouted the man again, and the waistcoat followed.

"I won't give up the hat, Bo!" panted Horatio.

[Illustration: "HOW DO I LOOK, BO?"]

But Horatio was mistaken, for at that instant the world beneath his feet
suddenly opened and he disappeared. Before the boy could check himself
he plunged after the Bear and was struggling in the deep waters of a
bayou that came to a level with the bank and was covered thickly and
concealed by fallen leaves. Rising to the surface he found Horatio
clinging to a fallen tree and the man, who had now overtaken them,
holding out a limb, which the little boy gladly seized. The hat had
been already rescued.

"Well, you're a nice pair!" said their captor. "To run away with a man's
clothes and then go headlong into the bayou and get his hat all wet! I'm
glad you didn't have that fiddle, or you'd a-ruined it. I've bin wantin'
a good fiddle a long time, an' this here looks like a good one. Come out
o' that, now, an' we'll take a walk up toward the jail. I happen to be
constable of this here community."

Bo groaned as he was dragged to shore. He did not mind the wetting, for
the weather was warm, but now they had lost the violin and would be
taken to jail. Of course they would lose all their money. Perhaps
Horatio would be killed. The Bear only blinked and shook himself when he
had been also towed to the bank and had scrambled out.

"I hope you won't take us to jail, sir," said Bo. "My Bear was
mischievous, but he didn't mean any harm, and I have a little money I'll
give you if you'll return us the violin and let us go."

"You come along with me!" answered the man, sternly. "It'll take more
money than you've got to pay your fine, an' as fer that chap, we don't
want no bears roamin' loose aroun' here. March on ahead there, an' don't
try none o' your tricks."

The constable cocked his revolver, and boy and Bear hurriedly started in
the direction of the village that showed above the trees about a mile
further on.

Bo was afraid to speak to their captor again, and as he never talked
with Horatio except when they were alone, they marched along
disconsolately and in silence. Now and then the man strummed on the
violin and chuckled to himself.

[Illustration: "SHED THEM CLOTHES OR I'LL SHOOT!"]