"Where's the c.o.o.n's boat?" he asked, hurriedly.

Clay smiled happily. He had not thought of that!

"Off there on the east side," replied the boy. "Have you got a knife yet?"

For answer Alex. seized the lad by the feet and called out to Clay:

"Catch him by the shoulders, and we'll carry him!"

Clay was not slow in following the suggestion, and the boys soon had the captive between the fringe of willows and the water. The boat was there, a large, four-oared craft which was partly filled with plunder taken from the river. The negroes were evidently making a business of gathering supplies from the flood. Just then Jule came up, out of breath from a stumbling run in the dark.

The captive was placed on board, and then Clay seized a pair of heavy oars.

"Take the helm," he called to Alex., "and you help with the oars, Jule," he added.

Then the craft shot out into the current. When she came around the corner of the little island, where the light from the _Rambler_ struck her a series of frantic shouts came from the men huddled on the south bank, and a few shots were fired, but, the current running swiftly, they were soon out of range.

"Let 'em swim," chuckled Alex. "A bath will be good for what ails them!"

"Alex.," remarked Clay, panting with the heavy work at the oars, "you deserve a Carnegie medal!"

"Sure!" chuckled the other. "I'm the Johnny-on-the-Spot when it comes to prescribing healthful stunts for the working cla.s.ses! Where is that boat going?" he added as the _Rambler_ disappeared around a distant bend in the stream.

"This is what comes of running off in the night without telling the boys what we were up to!" panted Jule. "This is some boat, when it comes to weight."

In ten minutes the lights of the _Rambler_ were in sight again, the rowboat having pa.s.sed around the bend. Then Clay took out a searchlight and began making signals to those on board. Directly an answering signal came from the boat, and then the lights halted, turned, and came up stream.

"You're a nice lot of watchmen!" Case called out, as the two boats came close together. "We thought you had caught a floater boat and drifted down stream."

"This," grinned Alex., "is the only old and original relief expedition. We have with us to-night a brand s.n.a.t.c.hed from the c.o.o.ns!"

"Hand down a knife!" called Clay. "This lad is capable of climbing on board by his own self! And swing around a little so as not to tip us over!"

With no little difficulty the boys were landed on the deck of the _Rambler_. Case regarded the visitor with a quizzical smile as he bent over him.

"Did you take a dive at Cairo," he asked, "and come up at Memphis?"

The boy answered only by a weary smile, and Mose stood staring at him with widening eyes, while Captain Joe sniffed suspiciously at his worn garments. Teddy invited him to a boxing match!

"I'll go you boys a dollar to an apple," Case observed, "that this kid is still empty! He looks it! Anyway, I'll go and get him something to eat!"

"And don't forget the heroic rescuers!" Alex. called out. "I haven't had a thing to eat since supper! Say, kid," he went on, "what's your name?"

"Chester Vinton," was the reply, in a frightened voice. "I'm running away."

"You wasn't running very fast when we found you!" commented Alex. "How did you come to mix with those wreckers?"

"I was on a raft," was the answer, "and I was hungry, and I saw them on the island, and asked them for something to eat. They tied me up!"

"Why didn't you stay on board the boat at Cairo?" asked Clay.

"I was afraid," was the reply.

"Red is back up the river looking for you," Jule observed, still shivering from his exposure to the cold water. "He took pa.s.sage with us part of the way down."

"I should think he did!" chuckled Alex. "And he was a first cabin pa.s.senger at that!"

"Well," Clay decided, presently, "perhaps we'd better feed this boy and put him to bed. He looks as if he'd been up against something hard."

The lad ate ravenously, and then began undressing. Clay sat in the cabin with him. He was full of wonderment at this second meeting with the boy, and wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but decided to wait until the lad was in better condition.

As the visitor threw his ragged clothes off a thud on the floor told of something of considerable weight in one of the pockets.

"Do you carry a gun, lad?" he asked, stooping over to lift the trousers.

The boy bounded forward and s.n.a.t.c.hed at the trousers, but Clay was too quick for him. The article which had made the noise on the floor was a leather bag.

An investigation showed that it was half full of diamonds of exceptional quality!

CHAPTER XIII

A RIVER ROBBER IN A NEW ROLE

With half a dozen stones of splendid value rolling over the palm of his hand, Clay regarded the boy accusingly.

"Where did you get the diamonds?" he asked.

The boy did not answer. Clay had expected confusion and shame. Instead he met with anger and reproach. Chester ("Chet" from that day forward) shot forward like an arrow and tried to wrest the bag from his hands.

Clay put him back tolerantly.

"Give them back to me!" Chet shouted so loudly that the boys out on the deck entered the cabin and stood in an astonished group about the two.

Clay, grasping the bag and the lose gems, held his hands high above his head.

"Where did you get them?" he persisted.

"Give them back to me!" yelled Chet. "You've been following me for this, have you? You're all as bad as the river thieves I've met up with! Give them to me!"

"What do you think of the little one for a diamond dip?" asked Alex., pointing at the flushed face of the agitated boy. "He's some clever!"

"I reckon he belongs with Red, the Robber, all right!" Jule put in.

"He seems to be pretty well fixed!" laughed Case. "Those gems are worth more than a hundred thousand dollars! Did you swipe them from the men who robbed the Rock Island warehouse, kid?" he added.