Raymond S. Spears

“ For hours they had been coming down between rows of submerged trees, with occasional glimpses of a levee toward the westward, working through the drift, making ready to dash ashore at some good point, but they were more than willing to miss their first real chance in order to get the baby. They couldn’t think of leaving it to be rescued by some one else—or perhaps not to be rescued at all—and so, with one regretful glance at the shore and the people on the banks, they started back into the drift.
"Dog-gone it!" Jep exclaimed. "A fellow can’t let that kid go on down! ”

“ Sibley remarked. "But he’s sleepy, now; sleep’s good for babies!"
After breakfast, when Driftwood, as they called the baby, was asleep, the three took note of their condition. They had edged over to the west side of the current, and they were approaching a great bend in the stream, the drift all throwing against the left-hand side, and running in a narrow ribbon—a ribbon a half mile wide, instead of nearly a mile, as before. ”

“ A few turns of the launch’s wheel took them out of the drift into open water. The current, which had been going straight south, took a turn and headed almost due north.
"Why, I believe that’s Slough Neck!" Jimmy declared. "Look’t that! There’s a levee over there. That’s the only east-side levee along here. That was Hickman we passed up there, and where we got the kid was Columbus. Now I know where we are. Last time I was down through here, the old creek was three feet, and the steamer Kate was aground on a sand bar, and you couldn’t hardly get down some crossin’s in a shanty-boat. ”