"Then we do keep a watch?" queried Bluff.

Frank looked around at their gloomy and impressive surroundings and then
raised his eyebrows in an expressive manner.

"You just bet we do!" exclaimed Jerry. "Here's a swamp with all manner of
wild animals in it, from alligators and wildcats to mosquitoes by the
million. How do we know but what some of them might take a notion to come
aboard in the night? I can see myself waking up to find a bobtailed cat
cuddling up under my blanket with me; or a ten-foot 'gator sprawled out
across Will, here, asking to have his picture taken. Tell me about that,
will you, fellows?"

"And then there may be other coons in hiding here; chaps who are wanted
for something far more desperate than poor old George. They might murder
us all in our sleep. Oh, yes, let us have a watch, by all means. I agree
to sit it out for the first two hours if Frank will take the second,"
cried Will.

So it was settled. They went aboard, and made preparations for sleep. Of
course, there were no regular bunks aboard the _Jessamine_, since the
space was too limited to admit of such luxuries. When the cruisers wanted
to retire, two of them made beds of the seats, and the others found
a suitable couch in the bottom. In case of rain, the automobile top would
protect them; but in dry weather it could be left partly off, so as to
insure more air.

Frank and Will had the seats first on this night, for it had been so
arranged that they would change around each night, so as to give every
fellow a chance. As Bluff put it, "just like we were playing a scrub game