oking, or if he had really seen something to excite him.

"Look beyant the stump on the idge of the wather, over yander. There,
did ye be savin' that now? Don't till me I'm blind agin, Jack. It's
movin' this way; sure it do be comin' right along. Och I wirra, listen
till that, would yees?"

No wonder Jimmie fell back in dismay, for a most outrageous noise
suddenly broke forth, such as certainly could never have been heard in
that swamp before. But Jack immediately recognized it as the attempt
of Nick to blow the old tin horn that was carried aboard the _Wireless_.

He shouted at the top of his sturdy voice in reply, and saw the shadowy
moving object head straight for the fire.

"Here's a couple of poor chaps lost in the wilderness," laughed Jack as
the other boat came closer.

"Oh! we've only come to find you," retorted Herb.

"Have you finished supper, fellows?" bellowed the fat boy.

Jimmie had by now recovered from his fright. He even pretended that it
had all been assumed, and that he knew from the start the nature of the
suspicious black object which he had discovered creeping toward the
fire.

"Listen till him, would ye, Jack?" he exclaimed, coming forward to
where the speed boat meant to land. "Did ye iver know such a gossoon
in all your loife? Is it supper ye're afther wantin? Sure, ye'll not
foind anny too much grub aboard the _Tramp_ roight now. But such as it
is, ye're as wilcome to as the flowers in May."

Whereupon he started in at once to cook another supply.

"It's lucky ye kim, me byes," he remarked presently, while the others
were sitting about, warming their hands at the fire, and waiting for
supper. "Now, by the same token, we'll not be facin' starvation so
soon."

"Don't count too much on that, Jimmie," observed George, making a face.
"I guess you forget who was with me these three days, and how he can
stow away stuff? Why, we're cleaned out of everything. I was even
talking of cooking our moccasins for soup a while back. For, you see,
my gun's a rifle, and somehow I haven't been able to knock over much
with bullets. We hoped to see a deer or a bear; but nixey up to now."

"Glory be!" exclaimed the sorely dismayed cook of the _Tramp_, as he
considered what an enormous amount it took to keep Nick going, and he
remembered the scanty stores still remaining in the larder.

"What brought you in this out-of-the-way place, George?" asked Jack.
"Now, don't go to joshing and pret