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around the foot of the island and started up the channel on the Missouri side,

under steam, and booming once in a while as they went. I crossed over to

that side and watched them. When they got abreast the head of the island they

quit shooting and dropped over to the Missouri shore and went home to the

town.

I knowed I was all right now. Nobody else would come a-hunting after me.

I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods.

I made a kind of a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain

couldn't get at them. I catched a cat-fish and haggled him open with my saw,

and towards sundown I started ssssssssss

my camp fire and had supper. ssssssssss

Then I set out a line to catch ssssssssss

some fish for breakfast. ssssssssss

When it was dark I set by my

camp fire smoking, and feeling ssssssssss

pretty satisfied; but by-and-by it ssssssssss

got sort of lonesome, and so I ssssssssss

went and set on the bank and ssssssssss

listened to the currents washing ssssssssss

along, and counted the stars and ssssssssss

drift-logs and rafts that come ssssssssss

down, and then went to bed; ssssssssss

there ain't no better way to put ssssssssss

in time when you are lonesome; ssssssssss

you can't stay so, you soon get ssssssssss

over it. ssssssssss

And so for three days and

nights. No difference -- just the ssssssssss

same thing. But the next day ssssssssss

I went exploring around down ssssssssss

through the island. I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, so to say, and I

wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to put in the time. I

found plenty strawberries, ripe and prime; and green summer-grapes, and

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