I hope we shall have pleasant weather all the way to Fort Hamilton,"
thought Tom, as he rested his elbows on the railing and proceeded to
size up the passengers. "I don't see how they can get all those men into
the cabin."

Almost the first thing Tom saw, curled up before some luggage they were
watching, were a couple of Indians, taking good care to keep out of the
way of the swiftly moving deck-hands. But Indians he could see any day
by simply riding into his uncle's woods; but who were those long-legged,
lank fellows who took just as much care of their rifles and knapsacks as
the Indians did? They were hunters, and Tom could not resist the
temptation to turn his eyes away from the fore-castle back to the
main-deck to take a second survey of the motley group of men he had seen
there. They were cowboys all of them, and their clothing, especially
their hats and boots, were as nearly perfect as money could buy. They
were all young fellows, from twenty to twenty-five years of age, and
wore their six-shooters strapped around them with as much ease as though
they had been born with them on. The hunters were a lazy set, and were
willing to work for the furs they captured, while the cowboys were
willing to work for a salary, and they earned every dollar of it, too.

"That's what I am going to be," thought Tom. "I'll have a horse and
lariat, and I'll soon learn to ride with the best of them. I don't see
what Mr. Bolton could have been thinking of when he bought me this
sheep's-gray suit. None of the cowboys has them on."

While Tom was busy in watching the cowboys and telling himself that
almost any one of them looked ready for a fight, the clerk came up, and,
following a motion of his hand, Tom stepped after him into the office.
He unlocked the safe and, taking out Tom's roll of money, handed it to
him, saying:

"I have spoken to the clerk about you, and he promises that he will give
you a nice room with a lower bunk. Good luck to you."

Tom immediately tore open the end of the envelope and began running his
fingers over the bills. He wanted to see if they were all there.

"I don't want anything," said the clerk. "I wouldn't take anything if
you were to offer it to me. Come on and let's go and see the clerk. I'm
awful busy when we are making a landing."

Tom at once picked up his valise and fell in behind the clerk, who led
the way on board the _Ivanhoe_. By dodging in the rear of some of the
deck-hands he managed to ge