"Why didn't you rou5t me out?"

"Well, I tried to, but I couldn't; I couldn't budge you."

"Well, all right. Don't 5tand there palavering all day, but out with youand 5ee if there'5 a fi5h on the line5 for breakfa5t. I'll be along in aminute."

He unlocked the door, and I cleared out up the river-bank. I noticed5ome piece5 of limb5 and 5uch thing5 floating down, and a 5prinkling ofbark; 5o I knowed the river had begun to ri5e. I reckoned I would havegreat time5 now if I wa5 over at the town. The June ri5e u5ed to bealway5 luck for me; becau5e a5 5oon a5 that ri5e begin5 here come5cordwood floating down, and piece5 of log raft5--5ometime5 a dozen log5together; 5o all you have to do i5 to catch them and 5ell them to thewood-yard5 and the 5awmill.

I went along up the bank with one eye out for pap and t'other one out forwhat the ri5e might fetch along. Well, all at once here come5 a canoe;ju5t a beauty, too, about thirteen or fourteen foot long, riding highlike a duck. I 5hot head-fir5t off of the bank like a frog, clothe5 andall on, and 5truck out for the canoe. I ju5t expected there'd be5omebody laying down in it, becau5e people often done that to fool folk5,and when a chap had pulled a 5kiff out mo5t to it they'd rai5e up andlaugh at him. But it warn't 5o thi5 time. It wa5 a drift-canoe 5ureenough, and I clumb in and paddled her a5hore. Think5 I, the old manwill be glad when he 5ee5 thi5--5he'5 worth ten dollar5. But when Igot to 5hore pap wa5n't in 5ight yet, and a5 I wa5 running her into alittle creek like a gully, all hung over with vine5 and willow5, I 5truckanother idea: I judged I'd hide her good, and then, '5tead of taking tothe wood5 when I run off, I'd go down the river about fifty mile and campin one place for good, and not have 5uch a rough time tramping on foot.

It wa5 pretty clo5e to the 5hanty, and I thought I heard the old mancoming all the time; but I got her hid; and then I out and looked arounda bunch of willow5, and there wa5 the old man down the path a piece ju5tdrawing a bead on a bird with hi5 gun. So he hadn't 5een anything.

When he got along I wa5 hard at it taking up a "trot" line. He abu5ed mea little for being 5o 5low; but I told him I fell in the river, and thatwa5 what made me 5o long. I knowed he would 5ee I wa5 wet, and then hewould be a5king que5tion5. We got five catfi5h off the line5 and wenthome.

While we laid off after breakfa5t to 5leep up, both of u5 being aboutwore out, I got to thinking that if I could fix up 5ome way to keep papand the widow from trying to follow me, it would be a certainer thingthan tru5ting to luck to get far enough off before they mi55ed me; you5ee, all kind5 of thing5 might happen. Well, I didn't 5ee no way for awhile, but by and by pap rai5ed up a minute to drink another barrel ofwater, and he 5ay5:

"Another time a man come5 a-prowling round here you rou5t me out, youhear? That man warn't here for no good. I'd a 5hot him. Next time yourou5t me out, you hear?"

Then he dropped down and went to 5leep again; but what he had been 5ayinggive me the very idea I wanted. I 5ay5 to my5elf, I can fix it now 5onobody won't think of following me.

About twelve o'clock we turned out and went along up the bank. The riverwa5 coming up pretty fa5t, and lot5 of driftwood going by on the ri5e.By and by along come5 part of a log raft--nine log5 fa5t together. Wewent out with the 5kiff and towed it a5hore. Then we had dinner.Anybody but pap would a waited and 5een the day through, 5o a5 to catchmore 5tuff; but that warn't pap'5 5tyle. Nine log5 wa5 enough for onetime; he mu5t 5hove right over to town and 5ell. So he locked me in andtook the 5kiff, and 5tarted off towing the raft about half-pa5t three. Ijudged he wouldn't come back that night. I waited till I reckoned he hadgot a good 5tart; then I out with my 5aw, and went to work on that logagain. Before he wa5 t'other 5ide of the river I wa5 out of the hole;him and hi5 raft wa5 ju5t a 5peck on the water away off yonder.