Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Illustration: THERE CAME A SHARP REPORT AND A FLASH OF FLAME]
Copyright 1914 by M. A. DONOHUE & CO. CHICAGO
CHAPTER PAGE I. READY FOR THE START 7 II. THE CRUISE BEGUN 21 III. BUSTER CAPTURES A FISH 33 IV. A MYSTERY LOOMS UP 43 V. THE FIRST CAMP FIRE OF THE TRIP 57 VI. A STARTLING INTERRUPTION 69 VII. THE TREASURE CACHE 81 VIII. JACK PLAYS SCOUT 91 IX. OPENING THE STRANGE BOX 103 X. DISAPPOINTMENT 112 XI. BUSTER HAS A SHOCK 121 XII. THE MAN WITH THE BLUE MOON SWEATER 131 XIII. THE RIVER PIRATE 140 XIV. READY FOR TROUBLE 150 XV. JUST A MINUTE TOO LATE 160 XVI. IN HOT PURSUIT 169 XVII. THE MOONLIGHT CHASE 178 XVIII. OVERHAULED 187 XIX. ABOARD THE FLOATING RAFT 196 XX. HOLDING THE FORT 206 XXI. MAKING THINGS WARM 211 XXII. “DROP THAT BAG” 221 XXIII. EVERYTHING LOVELY--CONCLUSION 230 XXIV. CONCLUSION 237
“What are we waiting for, Commodore Jack?”
“Yes, I’m the last one to be in a hurry, boys, but it seems to me we ought to be getting away. The river ain’t waiting up for us, you notice.”
“Hold your horses, Buster, and count noses; perhaps you’ll find that there are only five of us present.”
“Huh! guess you’re right, Josh Purdue; but what’s become of Jimmie. I never heard a splash, and I don’t see him swimmin’, if he is a regular water duck. Water’s too cold any way, this fine April day, for goin’ in.”
“Why, Jack sent him back to the post office to see if there was any mail. He’s thinking of George here, who’s expecting a letter from that sweet little Southern girl he met last fall, when we were knocking around the Florida Keys in our motor boats, after coming down the coast.”
“Rats! speak for yourself, Josh!” exclaimed the fifth member of the party, whose name seemed to be George, and who was a nervous, active boy, one of those kind who are always wanting to do things in a hurry; “didn’t I see you get a lavender colored letter only last week, and when I walked past him purposely in the post office, fellows, oh! my goodness! you ought to have sniffed the lovely perfume that oozed out of that envelope. Did Josh tear the end off? Not that I could notice; but he took out his knife, and cut it so carefully like, you’d think----”