to get the lay of the land. Say, what's all the stampede about?
These folks are milling, ain't they?"

"Stampede? This isn't a stampede. They're in a rush to get the ferry
boat. What do you mean by milling?"

"Why they're like cattle going around and around, and they don't seem
to be getting anywhere."

"Oh, that's it, eh, my dear chap. Well, they're all anxious to get to
New York, that's why they're rushing so. Come on or we'll miss the
boat."

Mortimer De Royster led the way through the ferry house, and out on the
boat. He took a seat in the ladies' cabin, and Roy sat down beside
him. The dude had bought a paper, which he was glancing over,
momentarily paying no attention to Roy.

Suddenly the boy from the ranch, who was looking about him with curious
eyes, jumped up and exclaimed:

"Something's the matter. The depot has been cut loose!"

"Cut loose? What do you mean?"

"Why, we're afloat! There's water outside."

"Of course, my dear fellow. We're on the ferry boat, crossing to New
York. What did yew think?"

"Are we on a boat?"

"Certainly. Where did you think you were?"

"I thought we were in the depot room, waiting for the boat to come in."

"Why, no. This is the boat. But of course the approach to it is
through the depot, and it is hard to tell exactly where the dock leaves
off and the boat begins. I should have told you, but I got interested
in the paper."

"I was a little startled at first," admitted Roy with a smile. "I
thought something had happened."

Several passengers who had heard this exclamation, were also smiling,
but Roy did not mind this. Everything was so strange and novel that he
wanted to see it all at once. It was no wonder that he mistook the
boat for the waiting room of the station, as the ferry boat was so
broad, and the cabin so large, that often strangers are deceived that
way.

De Royster soon took Roy out on the lower deck, and showed him New
York, lying across the Hudson river, the sky-scrapers towering above
the water line, the various boats plying to and fro, and the great
harbor.

"It's wonderful! Wonderful!" exclaimed the boy from the ranch. "It's
different from what I expected. I never even dreamed New York was like
this."

"Wait; you haven't begun to see it."

And, a little later, when they landed, and were crossing West street,
with its congested traffic, Roy began to think his companion was right.

For a moment the noise and excite