[CHAPTER X—MORE RIVER OUTLAWS]
“And I have a notion that we’ll run across that waif again,” Case said. “I imagine that he is somewhere down the river, and that Red will not be far away when we come to him. Somehow, we bunt into mysteries wherever we go!”
“I’ve got a hunch,” Alex. exclaimed, “that we are headed for news of that warehouse robbery at Rock Island! It seems to me too, that the boy had something to do, with it, or is mixed up in it in some way.”
“He looked pretty lean and shabby for a chap who had been interested in a diamond robbery!” Jule suggested. “Perhaps he’s not guilty—just suspected!”
The day was fine and the flood was running out. The river showed less wreckage than had been seen the day before, for the lowering water caused much of it to land on headlands and sandbars. During the forenoon the Rambler, which was still leaking a trifle, passed several river shanties and houseboats, tied up below half-submerged islands, where they were protected from wreckage.
These houseboats are common all along the Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers. Fishermen and indolent river characters live in them the year round. Some of the boats are of good size and well built and furnished, while others are merely shanties built on rafts of logs and other spoils taken from the waters.
Many of the boats carry whole families, and go sailing toward the Gulf with streamers of shirts and petticoats blowing from clotheslines. Others carry two or three men and numberless dogs. Those who reside on the boats live principally on fish, and on corn meal and pork purchased with the proceeds of fish sales.
Shortly after dinner the boys were asked to come on board a shanty boat navigated by two men and numerous dogs, so the Rambler was run alongside and Clay and Alex. went aboard, where they were warmly welcomed by two Chicago young men who were making the river trip in the way of a winter vacation. Their quarters were crude but comfortable. They had had a rough voyage because of the flood, but declared that they were going down to the Gulf if the raft held out.
Almost the first question Clay asked was about the Rock Island robbery.
“So you have been overhauled by the officers, too, have you?” laughed one of the young men, called Ben by his chum. “We had a bit of that, also, but the officers didn’t remain with us very long. It doesn’t take a week to search our craft!”