“He must have taken a jump into the river,” was the boy’s reply. “He certainly is not on board the Rambler. He just disappeared when those men appeared.”
“Then he’s probably drowned!” Alex. commented. “No one could swim long in that current. And the man, too, probably went under! Too bad!” he added, soberly.
“Well,” Clay declared, “I’ve got enough of the hospitality of this city. Suppose we drop down to-night? It will be risky sailing because of the flood, but at the same time it may keep us all out of jail. Those men may come back after they get a few more drinks.”
The Rambler was a staunch little motor boat, fully competent to make her way in almost any body of water, but the boys were afraid of driftwood and wreckage, and also of running off into bayous which ran out into swamps for miles, with almost as strong a current as the main channel. Those who have read previous volumes of this series will doubtless recall the adventures of the four boys in Brazil on the Amazon river, on the Columbia river, far up in British Columbia, and on the Colorado river, as far up as the Grand Canyon.
A month before that night in Cairo, the boys had launched the motor boat on the Mississippi far up near its source. They had struggled with sandbars and falls, but had at last worked round the Falls of St. Anthony and struck better water. They had met with plenty of adventures on the way, but nothing of the character of the happenings of that evening. The portion of their journey really worthy of record begins at Cairo on this early November night.
The pets, of which the boys were very fond, had, as already stated by one of the boys, been acquired in Brazil and British Columbia, Captain Joe having been bought by Alex. at Para, and Teddy having been rescued from a tree wreck in the great river of the north. Both animals had been taught all sorts of tricks by the boys.
“That’s all right, about our being in danger here,” Case observed, “but, at the same time, if we leave now, in the night, with the river up, we shall only confirm the suspicions of those on shore. Suppose we move away from this pier, so as to be out of the way of the mob, and anchor in another place, where those whose duty it is to look up suspicious river boats can find us if they desire to? For one, I don’t like the idea of being chased down the river.”
“Solomon had nothing on you!” Alex. agreed. “We may as well remain here until morning. I must confess that I don’t like the way the Father of Waters is acting!”
“Well, let us get somewhere and settle down for the night!” Jule suggested. “I’m still hungry! Those fellows spoiled my supper. Who wants more ham?”
“Say,” Alex. cried, with one of his inimitable grins, “why not have a fish for supper? I won’t be able to sleep much, on account of watching, and may as well have a good square meal! Then I’ll sit up and you boys can go to bed.”