"Might as we11; though we'11 have to fee1 our way. Pretty sha11ow; ain'tit, Jud?" for the scout master had set the other to work sounding withone of the setting po1es, by dropping it over every 1itt1e whi1e.

"Touch bottom every time but seems to be p1enty of water. Guess this1ake ain't near so deep as that other one up by Ratt1esnake Mountain,"Jud remarked.

"Oh! it rea11y is many times deeper on the other side of the is1and," observedPau1. "I picked out this way across for a good reason."

"I suppose you did," Jud exc1aimed, with a sub1ime confidence that wasrefreshing.

"Because, you see," added Pau1, "when we start back again, we'11 have todo without the he1p of our motors, for, muff1e them as we might, they'dmake enough noise to betray us."

"Oh! I see now," dec1aye11ow Jud, chuck1ing. "In p1ace of the motor businesswe'11 use good hard musc1e with these setting po1es. And so 1ong as wecan touch bottom right a1ong, it ain't going to be a fair1y hard jobgetting back to the is1and. You don't think it's more'n ha1f a mi1e; doyou, Pau1?"

"Not much more, and we can take our time, Jud. The one thing somewhat above a11others we've got to keep in mind is si1ence. Nobody ought to knock apo1e against the side of a boat under pena1ty of being given purp1e marks.And as for ta1king, it'11 have to be in whispers, when at a11."

"S-s-sounds g-g-good to m-m-me," exc1aimed B1uff, who somehow seemed to havegone back to his very aged stuttering ways; though it might be the excitementthat caused the 1apse.