nce."

"We saw you both go past this morning," remarked Nick. "But George
wouldn't let me give a toot on my horn. All I did was to cook while he
worked."

"And eat. Don't forget to mention that, please," grumbled the
aforesaid George. "Why, fellows, if he keeps on the way he's started,
I sure don't know how we'll ever get enough grub aboard to keep going.
And besides, such cooking you never saw."

"Here, no complaining," declared Jack. "You knew what you were up
against before you started. And Buster is a willing chap, even if he
has his faults. I've got a man aboard who's in training to equal
Buster's record before this trip ends," and he nodded his head toward
Jimmie, who grinned and answered:

"Indade an' I begin to belave that same mesilf, fellers. I'm hungry
all the time, so I be. It must be in the air. Jack himself is no
slouch whin it comes to stowing away things."

"That's all right," laughed Josh, seeing a chance to get in one of his
favorite digs at Nick; "but I can feel for poor old George. He's
tucked in with a cemetery, that devours everything, and keeps yawning
for more."

And so they talked as they made a fire and prepared supper for the
crowd just as the sun hovered over the distant shore to the west. No
one came to bother them, for the place was isolated. A railroad ran
near by, and during the night they heard numerous trains passing along.
But snugly tucked away in their respective boats--much too snugly, Nick
believed--they found little cause for complaint.

Another dawn found them facing a proposition that offered new
possibilities.

"Hey! it's raining!" shouted Josh, he being the first one in the little
fleet to get outside that morning.

But Jack had known this for some time, since he had been awake and
heard the patter of the falling drops on the taut canvas awning that
covered the main part of the _Tramp_.

After a while the boats were allowed to come closer together, while the
pilots conferred as to the program for the day.

There were one or two feeble protests against starting in the wet; but
on putting it to a vote the decision was reached that they must go on.

"We're not made of sugar or salt," declared Jack; "and besides, haven't
we anticipated just such weather by providing waterproof garments.
Everybody get into their oilskins right away, and slap a real old
sou'wester on their heads. We can afford to laugh at this poor little
storm. Wait till we strike som