her on they
looked down upon what seemed to be a quantity of reeds floating at the
side of the creek, but one bundle had slipped off, and there, plainly
enough, was the gunwale of the boat, the reeds having been laid across
it to act as a concealment in case any one should glance carelessly up
the creek.

"Come on, Bob," whispered Dexter; and he let himself slide down into the
muddy water as silently as he could, and began to tumble the bundles of
reeds off into the creek.

Bob followed his example, and, to their great delight, they found that
the sculls and boat-hook were still in their places, while the
boat-chain was secured to a stake thrust down into the mud.

This was soon unloosed after they had climbed in, dripping, and covering
the cushions with mud, but all that was forgotten in the delight of
having found the boat.

"Now, Bob, you row softly down and I'll use the boat-hook," whispered
Dexter, as he stood up in the stern, while Bob sat down, seized the
oars, and laid them in the rowlocks, ready to make the first stroke,
when high above them on the bank they heard a quick, rushing noise, and
directly after, to their horror, there stood, apparently too much
dumbfounded to speak, the man they had seen a few minutes before going
into the reed hut.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

SECOND-HAND STEALING.

"Here, you, sir! stop!" he roared.

"Pull away, Bob!" whispered Dexter, for Bob had paused, half-paralysed
by the nearness of the danger. But he obeyed the second command, and
tugged at the oars.

"D'yer hear!" roared the man, with a furious string of oaths. "Hold
hard or I'll--"

He did not say what, but made a gesture as if striking with a great
force.

"Don't speak, Bob: pull hard," whispered Dexter, bending forward in the
boat so as to reach the rower, and encourage him to make fresh efforts,
while, for his part, he kept his eyes upon the man.

"D'yer hear what I say?" he roared again. "What d'yer mean by coming
here to steal my boat?"

"'Tain't yours," cried Dexter.

"What? Didn't I buy it of yer and pay for it?"

"You came and stole it while we were asleep, you thief!" cried Dexter
again.

"Say I stole yer boat and I'll drown'd yer," cried the man, forcing his
way through the reeds and osiers so as to keep up with them. "If you
don't take that back it'll be the worse for yer. Stop! D'yer hear?
Stop!"

Bob stopped again, for the man's aspect was alarming, and every moment
he seemed a