“And I’m beginning to be anxious, myself, for a glimpse of that wonderful gulf, not to say a taste of those delicious oysters,” put in Bluff.

“That settles it, then.  Let’s get the things aboard, and drop downstream a few miles, anyway.”

Frank suited his action to his words by picking up some of the cooking utensils and starting to clean them.  This task was soon accomplished, and by degrees all their property that had been taken ashore was stowed away on the boat.

Then finally, Jerry, whose business it seemed to be to mind the hawsers, unfastened the rope that held the bow of the boat, still pointing with the current, just as they had stopped.

“Tell me when!” he called out as he stood by to repeat this maneuver with the second hawser at the stern.

The motor began to chug away cheerily.

“There’s life about that sound, all right,” laughed Will, who had been impressed with the dreadful monotony and stillness of the swamp.

“Let her loose!” called Frank, at the wheel.

So they once more started toward the open sea.  There were still quite a few miles to be traversed, however, before they could set eyes on that same open water.  The river was as “crooked as a New York alderman’s record,” as Jerry declared, and so it was that in order to advance five miles in a straight line they were compelled to navigate three times that distance on the water.

When the afternoon had waned they found a good place for a halt.

Again they cooked a royal supper.  When four healthy boys are off on a lark of this sort the subject of eating is always one of their chief concerns, which must account for the space which it occupies in records of cruising and camping trips.

Will did not go ashore that evening.  Indeed, somehow, none of them cared to stay alone, though Jerry did build up quite a roaring fire, just because he was fond of seeing the flames leap up in frolic.

As before, they divided the night into four watches, and this time Will chose to take the one that would bring him on deck from about midnight to two.

When it came his turn he sat there holding his camera faithfully, and hoping for something to happen; but it did not come, and he was finally forced to arouse Bluff to take his place.

The latter did so rather unwillingly.  Bluff was unusually sleepy, it seemed, and inclined to believe that this watch business was all humbug, anyway.  What did they need to fear?  Possibly there was not a human being within five miles of where the motor-boat was tied up.

So Bluff grew a bit careless.  Two or three times he napped while on duty, and as nothing came of it he made up his mind that there could not be any danger.  So he settled himself more comfortably on the seat and allowed his eyes to close once more.

How long he slept Bluff never knew.  He was awakened by some sound, but he could not tell what it was.