The River Motor Boat Boys on the Mississippi; Or, On the Trail to the Gulf

imagine that he is somewhere down the river, and that Red will not be far

that warehouse robbery at Rock Island! It seems to me too, that the

had been interested in a diamond robbery!" Jule s

ing water caused much of it to land on headlands and sandbars. During the forenoon the Rambler, which was still leaking a trifl

indolent river characters live in them the year round. Some of the boats are of good size and well built a

icoats blowing from clotheslines. Others carry two or three men and numberless dogs. Those who reside on

and Alex. went aboard, where they were warmly welcomed by two Chicago young men who were making the river trip in the way of a winter vacation. Their quar

on Clay asked was about

e young men, called Ben by his chum. "We had a bit of that, also, but the offic

hey were office

declared, had been seen down the river, and who is believed to have been associated wit

ked for any news they might have of the r

stolen were stored in the warehouse one day and taken out by thieves that same night. A boy answering to the description of the one the office

that if he can be caught he will be able to identify the robbers if they are caught. The red-headed man was seen in the city, wandering about the streets, aimlessly, on

und any of the stolen

is believed they put the goods on board some river boat and sent them down

river, sailing a very little faster than the shanty boat, which depended entirel

at the newspaper story is the right one. That boy never took part in that robbery of h

was," Clay repli

iend!" Alex. grinned.

es?" demanded Clay. "The fellow saved my lif

's he doing with a man like Sam?"

that question to the fut

hand in the robbery at Roc

about it! I'm waiting fo

and we may meet with the red-headed man again. We may

make of the old jail of a house Jule and I were locke

spying on what was going

ere?" asked Alex. "That i

ook long chances when they left us in the dark room with only an old man to gua

Alex. burst into

women show fright, but never anything like that! He thought he had come on a collection of ghosts! I presume he thought we, Jule and I, wer

ributed. "Or the loot from the warehouse may have been stored there," he added. "The boys heard heavy articles

wasn't any fun, sitting there in the dark! And I expected that crazy old

ing, and I won't have to wash a dish all the

ule, gleefully. "I see you wash

eat fun! I believe it stood there when the cave-dwellers lived along the Chickasaw bl

ered the Mississippi," Cas

ase was prodding him in the desire of receiving information. "But he gave the wrong course to

Jule. "You're in need o

i is about three thousand miles long from the fountain-heads of the Gallatin, Madison and Red Rock lakes to the juncti

uld carry the name," said Case. "In that

ver in the world-eight hundred miles longer than the Amazon, though not so wide! Some day the na

Clay and Alex. began watching for ducks, with which the river swarms at times. While they secu

you boys," he declared, "and Mose feels about it ju

ty!" answered Mose,

little "tow-heads" which are so frequently seen close to larger islands. These are formed by deposits of sand and vegetable matter, but they increas

he cutting of new channels across headlands. The river itself winds like a very crooked snake through th

you la Fourche, in Louisiana, and besides these there are nearly as many more which bear the names of

gain steerway, as they were in no haste to reach the Gulf of Mexico, which was th

out on deck. There was a brilliant moon, but they preferred to let every

e under-water route! And, even then, one of us would be apt to see him. Captain

d up to the prow and sat in a meditative mood, looking over the small "tow-head" which sheltered th

e. "Dar's a big fat coon watchin' us from dat m

d out showed half a dozen evil-l