“Well,” Clay answered, speaking in a low tone and looking in through the glass panel of the cabin door to see that Chet was still in his bunk, “I think I’ll go ashore at Memphis, for supplies, you know, and put the gems in a deposit box at one of the banks.”
“That’s a fine idea!” cried Case. “He’ll never get them there!”
“But you want to look out that you’re not pinched in the bank,” Alex. advised. “That warehouse robbery is making some noise, and if a boy from a river boat is seen to have diamonds, it is the jail house for yours!”
“If you put them in a bank deposit box,” Jule observed, “you’d better do them up so as to look like a package of papers—bonds, or stocks, or something like that.”
“That is a good idea, too!” Clay exclaimed. “I’ll do it!”
“I’d give a lot to know more about the boy and the diamonds,” Clay mused, as the boys began getting breakfast.
They had talked so long, after reaching the boat, that they had not before realized that it was most morning, and now there was a flush in the east which told of sunrise.
When Clay went back into the cabin to see about the fire, he found Chet crouching on the floor just back of the door. He yawned as Clay entered the apartment.
“What are you doing here?” asked Clay, in amazement.
“Guess I’m trying to find my way to the door!” was the half-smiling reply. “I didn’t seem to know where I was when I woke up!”