himself by seizing all the branches
within his reach, it set the whole structure in motion. There was a
"swish" of tree-tops, and in a moment more the bridge and Tom went into
the water together. The negro looked, but did not see him come up.

"Dar, now!" said he. "The money he had about his clothes was too heavy
for him to walk the bridge with."

CHAPTER IV.

THE WRONG BOAT.

The negro, almost overwhelmed with surprise, watched the surface of the
water to see Tom reappear, but it was only for a moment, and then with a
rush one of the trees, which had broken loose from its moorings, swept
over the very place where the head was seen, and the negro fairly danced
with consternation when he saw one of the limbs catch Tom and carry him
under water with it.

"Dar, now!" he exclaimed. "If I go home and tell moster about this thief
being drowned here, he will think I did it. What's dat?"

When Tom arose to the surface, it was only just long enough to clear the
water from his face, settle his hat firmly on his head, and take a fresh
hold of the bundle containing his lunch, and then he saw the tree
sweeping down upon him. To take in one long breath and go down again
before it got to him was barely the work of a moment, so that when the
tree passed Tom came up a second time, and this time he was much nearer
to the bank he wanted to reach than he was before. A few lusty strokes
brought him to it, and by the aid of trailing roots and vines he made
his way to the top with the agility of a sailor, so that by the time the
darky had got over wondering at his narrow escape, he was high upon the
bank opposite to him, and pulling off his boot to see if his money was
safe.

"Is dat you, sar?" said he, scarcely raising his voice above a whisper.

"Of course it is I," replied Tom, who did not know whether to get angry
over the effects of his unfortunate plunge or to laugh outright at the
darky's exhibition of astonishment. "You thought you had seen the last
of me, didn't you? It takes a bigger stream than this to drown me. There
is all the money I have got," he went on, taking his roll from his boot
and holding it out to the view of the negro. "It don't amount to five
thousand dollars, by a long shot."

The darky did not know what else to say. He watched Tom as he pulled off
his coat and vest and wrung the water from them, examined his bundle to
see that his lunch was safe, said he thought the steamboat landing was
about te