“You were all right about that, Neddy.  He wouldn’t budge an inch, for I tried to make him start out and hunt you up, and he refused until—­Well, one day the boat that carries the mail between Key West and Chokoloskee picked up, out in the Gulf of Mexico, a broken canoe that everybody seemed to know was the one you and Mr. Williams were out in.  Then Mr. Streeter made a night run to Myers, got Dad out of bed, and things began to happen.  Of course, I was coming, so I got into a few clothes, skipped my breakfast and was aboard this boat barely in time not to be left, for Dad was just plain crazy.  But before he came away he chartered everything in sight and told the men not to leave an unexplored channel in the whole Ten Thousand Islands.”

Ned held out his hand to his father without speaking, but Dick looked at the girl with more gratitude in his eyes than she could possibly have deserved, although she seemed willing to accept a good deal of it.

“Well, boys,” said Mr. Barstow, “if you are ready we will go aboard.  I don’t see much that you will care to take with you.”

“Nothing but Tom,” said Dick.  “Can’t he go?  He’ll be good.”

“Of course he can.  But who is Tom?”

“Oh, he’s nothing but a savage old wildcat,” replied Ned.  “He’ll probably eat us all up but Dick.  He has eaten some of him already.”

“Oh, what a beauty!” cried Molly, when Tom, who had been sitting in a tree over their heads, was pointed out to her.  Dick soon coaxed the lynx, which sat there looking suspiciously at the strangers, down to his shoulder.

“Can’t I pet him?” asked Molly.

“No!” said Ned.

“Yes,” said Dick, and Molly stepped forward and laid her hand fearlessly on the soft fur of the beautiful creature.  Tom began a low growl, but Dick talked soothingly to him, and in a few minutes he became quite friendly with the girl.

“There!” said Molly.  “Now we’re friends, and I can play with him all I want to.”

“Oh, no, not yet.  You must promise that you won’t touch him unless I am with you,” said Dick.

“Of course, I won’t promise.  I’ll pet him when I please.”

“Then poor Tom will have to stay here.”

“Do you mean to say that if I don’t make that ridiculous promise I can’t have Tom?”

“Tom belongs to you the minute you make that promise, but not before.”

“Well, Mr. Williams, I make the promise rather than lose Tom, but as for you—­” And the blank which Molly left was filled with feminine possibilities.

A bunk was fixed up in the cabin of the launch for Dick, and the throb of the heavy engines became a steady hum as the boat turned down the stream, with water and spray curling up from its bow and heavy waves from its propeller breaking with a sullen roar on the banks of the river.  Dick’s bunk must have been uncomfortable, for very soon he crawled up on deck and, going forward to where he could lean