“Ask me something easy,” Westy said. “And so you think you can dive,” old Captain Savage said, “or is that just boy scout talk? Do I stand a chance of getting upstream and down ag’in to-night, or not. Where do you say that key-bar is?” You can bet I knew just exactly where it was. It was under the east span of the bridge and just underneath about the fifth or sixth plank from the centre. I knew it was hard bottom down there, too. So Captain Savage and the other man he had gave me a thin rope and we fastened one end on the deck. I tied the other end of it around my waist in a loose French sailor’s knot, so I could pull it off without any trouble under water. Then I dived. I had to come up a couple of times without it, but the third time I got hold of it lying on the rocks, and quick as a flash I loosened the rope from my waist and tied it onto the key-bar. Then I came up, sputtering. [Illustration: ROY DIVED AFTER THE KEY-BAR] “Pull,” I sputtered, “you’ve got it; only pull easy.” Then I scrambled up on the deck. Believe me in less than a minute the tug-man and Westy and Pee-wee were on the bridge and had the key-bar fixed in its socket. Then we started to push and around she went—slow at first, then faster. Oh, boy, wasn’t I glad to see old _General Grant_ march through. Just as I was going to get in the rowboat, Captain Savage stuck his head out of the window and shouted, “Here you, youngster; you come in here. We have to overhaul accounts.” “Scouts don’t accept anything for a service,” Westy shouted. “I ain’t a-talking to you,” Captain Savage shouted; “you other feller, scramble aboard and come up here! Don’t they learn you nothin’ about obedience in them thar scouts—huh? You scramble up on board here like I tell you!” Oh, boy, I knew he meant me. CHAPTER XXXII I MAKE A DANDY FRIEND That was the first time I ever rode in a tugboat, and believe me, it was great. I stood right beside the wheel in that little house and pointed out the channel to Captain Savage all the way up to North Bridgeboro. That’s one thing I sure know—the channel. Anyway, if you don’t know it, follow the abrupt shore. But with a tug-boat, good night, you have to be careful because a tug draws so much water. He was going up there after a lumber barge, he said. First, he didn’t say anything, only smoked, and it was like a fog in there. Pretty soon he said: “So you youngsters don’t take nuthin’ fer services, huh?” “We have to do a good turn if we see a chance,” I told him. Then he wanted to know all about the scouts, how they were divided into troops and patrols and everything, and after I told him all that, we got to talking about our vacation and about Temple Camp, and especially about the house-boat. I asked him if he thought a three horsepower engine would drive the house-boat up the Hudson, so we could get as far as Catskill Landing in a couple of weeks.