"'Bout four miles on we'll strike them Spaniards," said the shiftless one.
It was a close calculation, as at the end of the four miles they saw the
light of a fire flaring through the trees and bushes and knew that they
had come upon Alvarez and his men. Their camp lay on rather low ground
beside a little bay of the Mississippi, and the keen eyes of the two
woodsmen saw at once that the force of Alvarez had been increased.
"He's got about seventy men whar he had about fifty afore," said Shif'less
Sol as they crept nearer.
"They came on boats as I thought," replied Henry, "and he left a
detachment here with the boats, while he went across country. Maybe he was
on an exploring expedition or something of that kind, when Braxton Wyatt
overtook him with his proposition."
Sol looked at Henry and Henry looked at Sol. A ray of moonlight fell upon
their tanned and stern faces. Then as they looked a twinkle appeared in
the eye of each. The twinkle deepened and the two broke simultaneously
into a soundless laugh.
"We want one of those boats," said Henry.
"We shorely do," said Shif'less Sol.
"We need it in the course of our duty," said Henry.
"We jest can't git along without it," said Shif'less Sol.
"It will be much easier floating down the middle of the Mississippi in a
boat than it will be walking along the bank all the way.
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