"And we ain't goin' to have to swim for it then?" Step Hen went on.

"Not unless you feel like taking a bath," replied Thad asked.

"But what happened to our engine?" asked Davy.

"And will we have to pole, or row, the rest of the trip?" proceeded
Giraffe. "I see our finish if that comes around so early in the cruise.
Wow! me to hike through the woods afoot, when it hits a fellow as hard
as this."

"Me too!" sighed Step Hen.

"Oh! don't get excited, boys," remarked Thad, with a broad smile; "no
danger of anything like that happening to us just yet. I was half
expecting something along these lines to happen; and now that it has,
we'll fix that part for keeps. It won't come around again, I promise
you that."

"Which isn't saying something else won't," grumbled Giraffe. "The blame
old tub is just about ready to go to pieces on us, the first chance she
gets; and that's what I think."

"Not so bad as that, Giraffe," remonstrated Thad. "This engine has been
a great one in its day."

"Yes, but that day was about away, back in the time of Stephenson,"
continued the tall scout, who, once he began to complain, could only be
shut off with the greatest difficulty.