"No, I don't belong around here," the boy said. "I come from out west
--or I used to live there when I was littler. I've got an uncle out
there now, if I could ever find him. He's a gold miner."

"A gold miner?" said Mr. Bobbsey, and then his wife came up to him,
and whispered in his ear. Just what she said the twins could not hear,
but, a moment later Mr. Bobbsey said:

"Bert, suppose you take Will down and show him the boat, since he is
so interested."

"Oh, I'm going to!" cried Freddie. "I want to show him where I'm going
to be a fireman."

"And I want to show him my room," said Flossie.

The strange boy looked at the little twins and smiled. He had a nice
face, and was quite clean, though his clothes were ragged and poor.

"Come along down if you like," said Bert kindly. "There's a lot to see
below the deck."

With a friendly nod of his head Will Watson followed the three
children. Nan stayed on deck with her parents.

"It's a shame to make him walk all the way from Lemby here and back,"
said Mrs. Bobbsey. "It must be all of five miles each way."

"It is," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Quite a tramp for a little fellow."