Part 2 (1/2)

”Jest the kind we're a-wantin' out here,” responded the Yankee gunner

”The htin' the sooner the ill co toward us,” he added, as General Lawton stepped from out of the circle around him

”You are fro Luke

”Yes, general,” replied the old gunner, touching his forelock, while Larry also saluted ”We volunteered for this expedition”

”You look all right, but--” General Lawton turned to Larry ”I', my lad,” he went on

”I hope not, sir,” cried Larry, quickly ”I've seen fighting before”

”He was in the thickest of it e knocked out Adeneral,” interposed Luke ”You can trust him to do his full share, couess he'll be all right,” responded General Lawton, with a grim sort of a s of sounboats which was to form part of the expedition

The troops were speedily on the cascos, which were to be towed by several steah Larry and his friends did not know it till several hours later, the destination was Santa Cruz, a pretty town, situated on a slight hill overlooking the placid waters of the Laguna de Bay The general's plan was to reach the lake by nightfall, and steal over the silent waters in the dark until the vicinity of Santa Cruz was gained, in hopes that the garrison ,” as it is called

For the ti the sailors were separated one froe of a casco, the shalloboats being joined together in strings of four to six each, and pulled along withlittle launches, which at times came almost to a standstill

”We won't reach the lake by sunrise, and I know it,” remarked one of the soldiers to Larry, who stood in the bow of the casco with an oar, ready to do whatever seeo yet”

At that instant the casco ahead ran aground in the shallow river, and Larry had all he could do to keep his craft fro into it As the two boats came stem to stern one of the soldiers in the craft ahead called out to those behind:--

”Say, Idaho, do you knohere we are bound?”

”Bound for Santa Cruz, so I heard our captain remark,” answered one of the soldiers in Larry's boat ”Got any tobacco, North Dakota?”

”Nary a pipeful, wuss luck,” was the response; and then the line straightened out as the casco ahead cleared herself from the mud, and the two boatsto Santa Cruz?” questioned Larry, as soon as he got the chance ”I thought ere bound for the north shore of the lake”

”I can only tell you what I heard the captain say,” answered the soldier, with a shrug of his shoulder ”General Lawton ain't blowing his plans through a truo to Santa Cruz,” ht of what had been said of Benedicto Lupez ”And if we take the town I hope we take that rascal, too”

The best laid plans are often upset by incidents trifling in the River, usually broad and turbulent, was now nothing better than a ree As night came on the expedition found itself still in the stream and round and a general ainst now?” growled the lieutenant in charge of the soldiers in Larry's boat ”Can't you keep out of themy best,” panted the youth, as he shoved off for at least the fourth ti one way and another it's rather difficult to keep to the channel, especially in the dark”

”Oh, you're only a boy and don't understand the trick,” growled the lieutenant, as in a bad hu”

”Our boat is doing about as well as any of theround to our left and three behind us”

”See here, don't talk back to me! You tend to business and keep us out of the mud,” roared the lieutenant, in worse hury retort arose to Larry's lips, but he checked it ”A quarrel won't do any good,” he thought ”But what a bulldog that fellow is--as bad as Quartermaster Yarroho caused me so much trouble on the trip out here”

On went the cascos once ed with bushes and reeds The mosquitoes were nuan to wish the journey at an end