you got there, if you tried to cross the swamp to reach it. Besides,
they would certainly be gone before you could possibly get to the
camp. Then you couldn't take a boat, and you've got to have one to
follow your friend."

"Can I buy or hire a skiff, here?"

"You can do a lot better. One of your Northern tourists left a
little beauty of a canoe with me, to be sold first chance I got. It
cost seventy dollars, delivered here, and you can have it for
twenty. It's only fifteen feet long and about two feet wide
amidships, but it weighs only forty pounds and when there isn't
water enough for the canoe to carry you, why, you can carry the
canoe. Then a few little traps go with it which you may find useful.
There's a broken fly-rod, which you can fix all right, and a little
single-barrel shot-gun, not worth much, but you can always pick up a
supper with it. There are also a pair of grains, a light harpoon,
and a cast-net which is torn some, but Johnny can fix it. Johnny's
got a rifle and all the camp kit two tough boys will need.

"Better take a piece of light, waterproofed canvas big enough to
keep off some of the rain when it storms, an axe, a bag of salt to
save the hides of the alligators you will be sure to kill if Johnny
goes with you, and some grits and bacon. Oh! you may need a
mosquito-bar, and if you do want it you're likely to want it bad.
Make it of cheese-cloth; that'll keep out sand-flies, too. Some of
my folks will run it up on the machine for you in a few minutes.
There may be some other little things that you'll need, but you can
trust Johnny to think of 'em. Now, Dick, you don't have to pay for
any of these things till you get good and ready. I'm used to giving