“He’s a mighty good one,” put in Jerry. “My foot feels fine.”
Next morning an examination of the wound showed, to the experienced eyes of the professor, that it was doing well, though it would take a week to heal. They decided to find a comfortable place to camp and go ashore, as there would be more room to move about.
Jerry wanted his companions to continue the voyage but the scientist decided they might get to some place unfavorable to the lad’s speedy recovery, and he overruled the proposition.
They went down the river a few miles the next day and found a sort of clearing, near a little cove, which made an ideal place to stop. There they remained about ten days. During that time the professor hunted bugs and butterflies to his heart’s content. He was constantly on the lookout for the prize specimen with the blue and gold wings, but saw no trace of it. However, he was not discouraged, as he had not counted on coming across it until he got to Lake Okeechobee.
The leaves which the Indian bound on Jerry’s foot proved a wonderful medicine. At the end of ten days the wound was healed, and Jerry could, by using care, walk on his injured foot.
“I guess it’s about time to resume our trip,” he remarked one morning, when he found he could get along fairly well. “I’m anxious to get out on the big lake in our boat.”
Accordingly camp was struck, and once more the travelers were dropping down the Kissimmee river. They traveled slowly, and about three days later they found themselves on a broad lagoon, which, by the map, they knew opened into Lake Okeechobee.
“Speed her up! We want to reach the lake before night!” exclaimed Jerry to Bob, who was at the wheel. Jerry was still acting the part of an invalid passenger.
“Maybe we’d better keep near shore,” remarked the professor. “It looks as if a bad storm was brewing.”