The man on the other boat had glimpsed them sufficiently to have
his interest aroused, for they could hear him throwing a pair of
oars into a small boat, and sure enough he quickly came alongside.

"Anything I can do to help you, boys?" he asked with so much
heartiness that Maurice warmed toward him immediately.

Of course there was really no need of assistance, since everything
had been already accomplished; but Maurice asked the other to come
aboard and join them in a friendly little chat.

The trip promised to be lonely enough, with suspicions directed
toward nearly all those encountered, so that it was a real
pleasure to run across a good fellow like this who felt some
interest in them.





CHAPTER V.

HARD PUT TO KEEP WARM.


The big, broad-shouldered man proved to be a machinist and clock
mender, who was in the habit of plying his trade along the river
every winter; he had his family aboard the boat that served him as
a workshop, and there were certain localities on his route where
they looked for him regularly--he was, it seemed, a jack-of-all-