he sat toward the gig, but Bob
was too quick for him. The gig glided through the water at double the
rate possible to the old craft, and though it was boy against man, the
former could easily hold his own.

Fortunately they were not moored to the bank or the event might have
been different, for the man had raised his oar as if with the intention
of striking the boat in which the boys were seated.

"Here, you, stop!" he shouted.

Bob replied in dumb show with his sculls, dipping them as fast as he
could, and looking very pale the while, till they were well out of
reach, when he rested for a moment, and yelled back in defiant tones the
one word--

"Yah!"

"All right, my lads," shouted the fellow. "I know yer. You stole that
boat, that's what you've done!"

"Row hard, Bob!" whispered Dexter.

"It's all very fine to say row hard. You kitch hold and help."

Dexter readily seized the second scull, and began to pull with so much
energy and effect that they had soon passed the muddy creek up which the
man had gone and come, and before long he was out of sight.

"It was all your fun, Bob," said Dexter, as they went on. "I thought
you meant to sell the boat."

"So I did," grumbled Bob; "only you were so disagreeable about it. How
are we to get on for money when mine's all done!"

"I don't know," said Dexter dolefully. "Can't we work for some?"

"Yah! How can we work? I say, though, he knew you'd stolen the boat."

"I didn't steal it, and it isn't stolen," said Dexter indignantly. "I
wrote and told Sir James that we had only borrowed it, and I sent some
money, and I shall send some more if we cannot find a way to get it
back."

"See if they don't call it stealing," said Bob grimly. "Look there at
the her'ns."

He nodded toward where a couple of the tall birds were standing
heel-deep in the shallow water, intent upon their fishing, and so well
accustomed to being preserved that they did not attempt to rise from
their places.

Dexter was so much interested in the birds that he forgot all about
their late adventure.

Then they rowed on for about a couple of hours, and their next
proceeding was to look out for a suitable spot for their meal.

There were no high cliff-like banks now, but here and there, alternating
with meadows, patches of woodland came down to the water's edge, and at
one of these they stopped, fastened the boat to a tree where it was
quite out of sight; and now for the first time th