“Everything lovely, and the goose hangs high!” Frank said, as the other joined him presently on deck.

“That’s good,” replied Andy.  “And as it is now one o’clock, with no trouble doing, looks good to me that we’ll pull through the night without a mess.”

“You never can tell,” observed the careful Frank.  “And the only way to do is to act just as if you felt positive something was bound to crop up.”

“I know it,” came the reply, as Andy started to walk up and down a bit, so as to get the last remnant of drowsiness out of his system.

For an hour he found little trouble in keeping awake.  He made frequent trips to where Felipe stood at his wheel, his keen eyes keeping constant vigil ahead, in order that he might steer clear of such snags as threatened to stove a hole in the hull of the steam yacht.

Now and then Andy could see one of the crew moving about; but as some of them must have duties to perform, even in the night, he did not look upon this as a suspicious circumstance.  Only, he made sure that no one wandered in the near vicinity of the locked lazerette, where the precious monoplane lay, securely crated.

In some places the river proved much narrower than in others.  And, of course, it was here they had their greatest trouble.  The current was increased, for one thing.  Then the floating objects swept forward with more speed, so that it required additional dexterity in order to avoid them.

But old Felipe knew his business well.  Andy believed they had made no mistake in leaving matters fully in his hands.

It was about the end of his second hour that the pilot volunteered some information that gave Andy more or less uneasiness.

“Just ahead, young senor,” he said, when for the fifth time the boy entered his deck pilot house, “we come to the narrowest place in the whole river at this section.  And there, if anywhere, I expect that they will be waiting for us.”

“Do you mean the revolutionists?” exclaimed Andy, interested instantly.

“No other, senor.  If we manage to get past there, all will be well.  But they may be encamped on both shores, and demand that we draw in under penalty of being fired on,” Felipe went on, without removing his snapping black eyes for even a single second from the ever-moving panorama of shifting water and floating debris, that the searchlight disclosed ahead of the laboring boat.

“But nothing must tempt us to obey; no matter if they send volleys aboard.  The distance is too far for them to do much damage; and I hear they are as a rule pretty punk shooters.”

Felipe may hardly have known what that word meant, but he could give a guess.

“But sometimes, young senor, they even have cannon!” he remarked.

“You don’t say!” ejaculated Andy, in new alarm; but he quickly caught himself, and went on.  “Let ’em try it then.  We’ll just shut off the searchlight, and take our chances for a while with the old floaters on the river.  Then perhaps they won’t see anything to bang away at.  Anyhow, just make up your mind, Felipe, we don’t haul in, not while the blessed old tub keeps above water.”