"She wouldn't know what it was for," laughed John, "if you did."

"My, I would like to hear what my mother would say if she could
see the inside of that old tavern."

"The worst thing of all," said Fred, "was the riot in the
bar-room. I didn't sleep a wink last night."

"You didn't sound that way, Freddie," said George.

"What time did the noise downstairs stop, Peewee?" inquired John.

"It didn't stop, I guess," laughed Fred. "The landlady said the
storm drove all the canal-men into the house, but it didn't seem
to me there was anything that drove them out. I shouldn't like to
meet one of those men in a dark alley."

"You don't have to meet them," suggested George. "We have lived
through the night somehow and are all safe. Now if the Black
Growler is ready we are. We'll get our breakfast at Rome, I
suppose."

"That's what we will," said Fred, quickening his pace as he
spoke.

"Look yonder!" exclaimed John, abruptly halting as he spoke and
pointing in surprise at their motor-boat, which was only a few
yards distant.

In response to his suggestion the Go Ahead boys all stopped and