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THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE GULF

Or, Rescuing the Lost Balloonists

by

CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN

Author of The Outdoor Chums, The Outdoor Chums on the Lake,The Outdoor Chums after Big Game, etc.

1911

CONTENTS

I UNDER SEALED ORDERS II CAUGHT IN A FIRE TRAP III HEADED SOUTH IV JERRY MEETS TROUBLE HALF WAY V THE FIRST CAMPFIRE VI THE SWAMP FUGITIVE VII A FLORIDA SHERIFF VIII WILL DOES IT IX THE MOTOR-BOAT AND THE PROWLERS X BLUFF'S FIRST 'GATOR XI ALL THE COMFORTS OF SALT WATER XII THE BREAKDOWN OF THE MOTOR XIII LOST IN THE FOG XIV A CRY ACROSS THE LAGOON XV A VISIT TO THE MYSTERIOUS SHARPIE XVI JOE XVII STUCK ON AN OYSTER BAR XVIII TROUBLE XIX WHAT HAPPENED TO JERRY XX LYING IN AMBUSH FOR BIG GAME XXI A STRENUOUS NIGHT XXII THE MESSAGE FROM THE AIR XXIII A DASH UPON THE GULF XXIV THE "NORTHER" XXV THE SECRET OF THE SEALED PACKET—CONCLUSION

CHAPTER I

UNDER SEALED ORDERS

"Now KEEP your word, Frank, and tell us the news!"

"Yes, you got us to come to your house tonight under a promise, remember.
What wonderful thing has happened to make you look so tickled?"

"Talk to me about the Sphinx! Frank has the old relic beaten to afrazzle!"

Three boys gathered eagerly around the fourth as they bombarded him afterthis fashion. Frank Langdon looked at the faces of his chums and laughedagain.

"Well, it would be a shame to keep you squirming on the anxious seat anylonger, boys, and I'm going to take you into my confidence just as fastas I can. Sit down and hold your oars. Jerry, pull that stool up; Will,the settee must do for you and Bluff. Now, are you ready?" he asked,tantalizingly.

"Crazy to hear!" was the characteristic reply of Bluff, otherwise Richard
Masters, son of Centerville's greatest lawyer.

"Tell me about that, will you?" exclaimed Jerry Wallington.

"Please go on before we explode!" begged Will Milton.

"These things always have a beginning, you know. This one happensto be founded on the fact that we are close to our annual Christmasvacation, and that this year it happens that we're going to enjoytwo full weeks—you know that?" said Frank.

"Of course we do, thanks to that steam-heater getting out of order. Butdon't rehash old stuff. That's history by now. What we want is the meatin the cocoanut. Please hit for the bull's-eye, first chop," pleadedWill.

"I was wondering what we would do with ourselves during that time.There's old Jesse Wilcox, the trapper, who invited us up to spend aweek with him and see how he runs out his string of traps in coldweather, catching muskrats, mink, 'coons, foxes and all such things inmore or less abundance. We had about decided that we would accept, and Iwas even getting ready to go when something happened."

"Talk to me about your tantalizing chaps, did you ever meet up with oneas bad as Frank can be when he knows the rest of us are so keen to hear?"cried Jerry.

"What was it?" demanded Bluff.

"I had a le

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