The boys all looked relieved, and each one thanked the colonel heartily. “That’s all right,” said he. “You’re not the handsomest fellows I ever see, but you look honest.” A slight shade of anxiety now returned to Phœnix’s face. “How much will it cost, sir,” he said, “to go from here to Enterprise?” “I charge you a dollar apiece,” said the colonel, “to carry you over to Salt Lake. That’s seven miles away, and it’s where you take the steamboat. Then the fare is six dollars apiece to Enterprise or Sanford.” “Squelched again!” said Chap. The colonel looked at him with a half smile. “A fellow with legs like yours,” he said, “ought to be able to walk it. The soft spots you’d have to pass over ain’t more’n a yard deep.” “Oh, _I_ could walk it easy enough,” said Chap; “but I couldn’t carry three short-legged fellows. That’s where the trouble comes in.” “Well, then, I guess I won’t make you do it,” said the colonel. “Let me see,” taking a pencil and a piece of paper; “four ones is four, and four sixes is twenty-four, and then four more sixes, from Sanford to Jacksonville, is twenty-four more, and then a couple of dollars for extras--none of you fellows drink, do you?” “Not one of us,” promptly replied Chap. “I thought as much,” said the colonel, “and that comes to fifty-four dollars. Take seventeen from that, and it leaves thirty-seven. That’s the amount you are short, and, to make it even, we’ll call it forty. Now, if one of you fellows will make out a note to me for forty dollars, payable in thirty days, and the other two will indorse it, I’ll let you have the money.” This unexpected offer almost stupefied the boys, and they could scarcely find words with which to express their gratitude. “Oh, it’ll be all right enough,” said the colonel. “I know that all of you or one of you will pay me the money, or I’ll make it hot for you, no matter what part of the country you’re in. When a man owes me money, he pays it.” “But none of us are of age,” suggested Phil. “Perhaps our signatures----” “Don’t talk to me of age,” roared the colonel. “If I lend you the money, you’ll pay it back to me. There’ll be no getting out of that. I won’t charge you any interest. It’ll be cheaper for me to let that money go for awhile without bringing in anything than to keep you fellows here eating at the rate of four dollars a day a head.” When Adam was told of the arrangement which had been made between the colonel and the boys, he smiled.