is end of the trunk, lad, and tow her
in, stern foremost."

They got within ten yards of the tree before she again stuck, and it
took them some hours' work to cut away the branch which projected under
water; but at last this was done, and the boat was placed in position
under the arm of the great tree they had pitched upon, and a number of
ropes fastened firmly to the arm.

"Now we will have some dinner," Hiram said; "and while Pete is cooking
it we will get ashore with the saw and cut the heads off some of these
small trees, and fasten them to this trunk, so as to make a sort of raft
that we can put all these tubs on. The ropes would never hold her with
her cargo on board. I reckon some of the sugar is spoilt; but the boss
always has good casks, and may be there ain't much damage done. The rum
is right enough, and I reckon there won't be much spoilt except them
bales of calico."

They worked hard, but it was late in the evening before the raft was
formed and the cargo all shifted into it.

"Now, we will just chop off this arm and free her," Hiram said, "and
then we can stretch ourselves out for the night. We have done a tidy
day's work, I reckon, and have arned our sleep."

The arm was chopped through, and the boat was freed from the tree which
had, in the first place, so nearly destroyed it, but which, in the end,
had proved their means of safety. The raft was fastened alongside by a
rope, and the negroes betook themselves to it for the night, while the
two white men, as before, lay down to sleep on the cabin-top.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER VIII.

STARTING FOR THE WEST.

THE next morning they found, to their satisfaction, that the river had
sunk nearly a foot. The boat had risen considerably when the cargo had
been removed the evening before, and the ropes overhead had been
proportionately tightened, so that she now hung so high that the rents
were well out of water, and they were able at once to set about the work
of repair. There were tools on board, for during their prolonged trips
it was often necessary to execute repairs of one kind or other. The
flooring-boards were utilised for the repairs, and by evening the holes
were closed effectually.

The next day the work was strengthened by additional ribs and stringers,
a coat of pitch was put on outside and in, and Hiram pronounced the work
complete. From time to time the ropes had been loosened as the river
continued to fall, although less rapidly,