Lank, it seemed, was steering from the seat beside the engine, working the rudder with a hand on the wire rope where it passed him, a feat that Pud had once attempted with almost disastrous results. After a minute or two, though, he arose and came scuffling forward, and then it was that Pud’s heart, which had already threatened to cease functioning several times that evening, just plain stopped business! For the edge of the canvas scarcely a foot from his frightened eyes was lifted! He heard Lank grunt with the effort of bending, and he gave himself up for lost. But in the next instant something heavy and bulky was forced against his chest, prodded further with a kick of the man’s foot, the canvas flap fell again and Pud’s heart, with a painful thump, decided to beat again! After a moment of revulsion that left him faint, Pud gathered sufficient courage to ease his hands forward and feel inquiringly of the object reposing under his chin. It was a bundle about a foot square tied with stout twine. Pud’s curiosity ended, but not his concern. Presently, perhaps, Lank would come after the bundle, and if he did what was to prevent him from throwing back the canvas and exposing the doubled-up form of one Pud Pringle? Or he might in fumbling around in the darkness get hold of a bare foot; and Pud felt that in such an event Lank would be sufficiently curious to see what was attached to the foot! Pud stared venomously if unseeingly at the bundle. The only thing that occurred to him was to thrust it farther away until a portion of it showed beyond the canvas. So, perhaps, Lank would see it and not go fumbling around too much. Pud was glad to get it away from the immediate vicinity of his nose, for it had a strong and not too pleasant odor, an odor that aroused in Pud dim memories connected with unpleasant events. For want of a better occupation, and perhaps to keep his thoughts from apprehensive speculation as to the outcome of this adventure, Pud strove to connect that odor with the memories it evoked, and while the launch chugged steadily on down the stream, and Lank whistled plaintively and not unmelodiously from near by, he frowningly bent his mind to its task. And suddenly――Eureka!――he had it!