Two or three days and nights went by. The time was quiet and lovely. The river was very big. Sometimes it was more than a mile wide. We traveled at night and we hid during the day.
When the night was almost finished, we stopped the raft. We tied it to a tow-head (a small island in the river with many trees). We cut small trees and bushes to hide the raft. Then we swam in the river to feel cool. We sat in the water and watched the daylight come.
Everything was very still and quiet. First, we saw a dark line of woods far away. Then the sky became gray. After that, the river was not black anymore. We saw small boats and other rafts far away. We heard voices because the water was so quiet.
A cool breeze blew from the woods. It smelled like flowers. Sometimes it smelled like dead fish on the shore. Then the sun came out and everything was bright. The birds began to sing in the trees.
We took some fish from our lines. We cooked a hot breakfast. After that, we watched the river and felt lazy. Soon, we went to sleep. We woke up later and watched the water.
Sometimes a large steamboat (a big boat that uses steam power to move) passed us. It was very far away. We also saw men on other rafts. We saw a man use an axe, but the sound came much later. The day was very peaceful.
One time there was a thick fog (a thick cloud of small water drops near the ground). We heard people on other boats, but we could not see them. We heard them talking and laughing. Jim thought the voices were spirits. I told Jim that spirits do not use bad words.
At night, we floated in the middle of the river. We looked at the stars in the sky. We talked about where the stars came from. Jim thought the moon made the stars like a bird makes eggs. I thought the stars just happened. We watched the stars fall through the sky.
One morning, I found a canoe (a small, narrow boat for one or two people). I went to the shore to find some berries in the woods. Suddenly, two men ran toward me. They were very afraid. They said men and dogs were chasing them.
I told the men to walk in the water. This helped them hide from the dogs. Then they got into my canoe (a small, narrow boat for one or two people). We paddled away quickly. We heard the dogs and the men, but they did not find us.
One man was about seventy years old. He was bald and had gray hair. He wore an old hat and a dirty blue shirt. The other man was about thirty years old. He also wore old and dirty clothes. The two men did not know each other.
The younger man told us about his work. He sold a liquid to clean teeth. But the liquid was bad and it hurt people’s teeth. He had to leave the town quickly. He was running away when he met the older man.
The older man said he was a preacher. He told people to stop drinking alcohol. He made some money from his speeches. But someone saw him drinking from a bottle. He had to run away before the people caught him.
The younger man began to look very sad. He said his life was very hard. He told us a secret. He said he was really a Duke (a man from a very high and royal family). He said his name was the Duke of Bridgewater.
Jim and I felt very sorry for him. The Duke wanted us to be very polite. He wanted us to call him "Your Grace." Jim stood and waited on the Duke during dinner. This made the Duke very happy.
Then the older man started to cry too. He said he also had a secret. He said he was the son of the King of France. He called himself the King (the most important man or ruler of a country). He was very sad about his life.
The King wanted us to call him "Your Majesty." He wanted to eat his food before everyone else. Jim and I were very polite to him. This made the King feel much better. But the Duke was not happy.
The Duke wanted to be the most important person on the raft. The King was very friendly to him. The King said they must be friends. The Duke finally agreed and they shook hands.
I knew the two men were not really kings or dukes. I knew they were only liars. But I did not say anything to Jim. I wanted to have peace on the raft. It is best to let people have their own way.