From one thing and another the conversation gradually drifted around to ghosts, and Fred told a ghost story that was thrilling in the extreme.
"Don't you believe in ghosts, Hans?" questioned Sam.
"Not much, I ton't," answered the German youth. "Da vos all humbugs alretty."
"Then you wouldn't run if you saw a ghost?" queried Songbird.
"Not von sthep," said Hans positively.
This talk set Tom to thinking, and on the way back to the houseboat he called Sam to his side.
"I've got an idea."
"What is it?" questioned his brother.
"You heard what Hans said about ghosts?"
"To be sure I did."
"Well, I've got an idea for some fun."
"Good for you, Tom."
"We'll fix up a ghost."
"Oh, that's old."
"So it is; but this particular kind of ghost isn't old."
"What is it to be?"
"One full of pepper."
"Pepper?"
"Exactly. And when Hans hammers it – why, look out, that's all."
The matter was talked over for a few minutes, and Sam readily fell in with his brother's ideas. Reaching the houseboat, the pair went to one of the staterooms and procured a sheet and a bolster.
Then Tom ran off to the galley and obtained a box full of pepper.
The pepper was sprinkled over the sheet and the bolster.
"Now, we'll take the outfit to Hans' room," said Tom, and this was done without the German youth being aware of what was taking place.
The others were then let into the plot, and just before retiring Tom called Hans to one side.
"Hans, I want to give you a tip," he whispered tragically.
"Vot for?"
"Some of the fellows are going to scare you. They have fixed up a ghost in your room."
"Is dot so?"
"When you go to bed, don't be frightened."
"Not much I von't pe, Tom. Maype I vos hammer dot ghost, hey?"
"That's the talk. Take a switch along and lock your door. Then you can switch the ghost good."
"Ha! ha! dot's a goot blan," roared the German youth. "Maype somepody ton't cotch him!"
A few minutes after that, the boys and the others separated for the night, and Hans retired to his own stateroom.
As it was bright moonlight, no lights had been lit, nor did the German youth make any.
Tom had deceived him completely, and behind his back he carried a heavy switch. He intended to "lather" the ghost good before giving the joker, whoever he might be, a chance to get away.
As he closed the door, he caught sight of something white and ghost-like standing near the head of his berth. He shut the door softly and locked it.
"Oh, my!" he cried. "A ghost! a ghost!" And then he raised his switch and brought it down on the white object with all his might. Blow after blow was delivered in rapid succession, for he wanted to get in as many cracks as possible before the joker should expose himself.
"Dere you vos, you pad ghost!" he cried. "I dink you vos – "
At this point Hans stopped short. Something had entered his nose – something that tickled exceedingly.
"Ker-chew! ker-chew!" he sneezed. "Vot is – ker-chew! I dink – ker-chew! Oh, my! Ker-chew! I vos schneeze mine head – ker-chew! Stop dot, somepody – ker-chew! Oh, dear – kerchew! Oben der door – ker-chew!"
Blinded, and sneezing violently, Hans dropped his switch and made for the door. Throwing it wide open, he ran out to get some pure air, for the stateroom was filled with floating pepper.
"I fix somepody for dis – ker-chew!" he roared. "Chust vait, you chokers!"
Then he caught sight of Tom, who stood nearby, grinning.
"Dot vos your drick!" he went on. "Chust you come here!"
"Thank you, not to-night, Hansy, my dear boy," said the joker, keeping at a safe distance.
"Vell, den, you go 'long mit your old ghost," went on Hans, and, picking up the peppered bolster and sheet, he threw them into Tom's room, where the fun-loving youth had the pleasure of disposing of the mess as best he could.
CHAPTER IV
TROUBLE WITH NEGROES
"The rolling, the rolling,
The rolling river for me!
The rolling river, the rolling river,
That carries us down to the sea!"
So sang Songbird Powell the next morning when he came out on deck after a refreshing night's rest.
"Songbird, you're a regular lark," remarked Dick.
"I feel like one," was the answer. "Who wouldn't feel good on such a glorious morning as this?"
"Maype you didn't haf some ghosts drouble you?" put in Hans with a grin.
"Forget it, Hans," answered Dick. "It's too fine a morning to think of ghosts."
It was indeed a glorious morning, clear and balmy. The ladies of the party were much pleased, and so were the girls. All gathered on the deck to take in the sights before breakfast was announced by Aleck.
A big schooner was passing with all sails set, and, not long after this, a large steamer, bound up the Mississippi, hove into sight.
"Now, we'll get some big swells," remarked Sam, and he was right. Soon the houseboat began to rock in a fashion that pleased the boys, but alarmed the girls.
"When the houseboat rocks like that, I'm always afraid we'll be swamped," said Grace.
"There is little danger of that," said Captain Starr. "The wash would have to be much heavier before it could do any damage."
The morning passed pleasantly enough. The ladies spent the time over their fancy work, while the girls and boys read, played games and also sang and played. There was a piano on the Dora, and the boys had a guitar and a banjo along.
They were at dinner and discussing their next stopping place, when, without warning, there came a shock that threw Aleck flat on the floor, with a trayful of cup-custards over him.
"Fo' de lan' sake!" gasped the colored man. "Has we struck a stone wall?"
"Whow!" ejaculated Fred, who had had some hot coffee spilled on his knee. "This isn't pleasant, I can tell you."
Dick was already running on deck, and the others followed. They saw that Captain Starr's face was full of concern. Not another craft of any kind was in sight, and they were a good two hundred feet from shore.
"Didn't we strike something, Captain?" asked the eldest Rover.
"Reckon we did, sir," was the answer.
"What?"
"A sunken tree, most likely. They are the worst things to be met with on the Mississippi. More than one boat has been sunk by a hidden tree trunk."
"Did the snag poke a hole into us?" asked Tom. "If it did, we had better make for shore."
"I'll look around and see," said the captain, and did so, accompanied by the boys and Aleck. For the time being, dinner was forgotten.
Fortunately, no great damage had been done. One side board had been loosened, but this was easily nailed tight, and then the houseboat proceeded on her way as before.
"I've heard of boats being wrecked by these snags," said Songbird.
"One boat I was on, some fifteen years ago, was wrecked that way,"