s if he was about to leap from the high bank.

Fortunately for all parties he did not do this, as if he had reached the
edge of the boat he must have capsized it, and if he had leaped into the
bottom, he must have gone right through.

Bob did not realise all this; but he felt certain that the man would
jump, and, with great drops of fear upon his forehead he kept on
stopping as the man threatened, and, but for Dexter's urging, the boat
would have been given up.

"I can hear yer," the man roared, with a fierce oath. "I hear yer
telling him to row. Just wait till I get hold of you, my gentleman!"

"Row, Bob, row!" panted Dexter, "as soon as we're out in the river we
shall be safe."

"But he'll be down upon us d'reckly," whispered Bob.

"Go on rowing, I tell you, he daren't jump."

"You won't stop, then, won't yer?" cried the man. "If yer don't stop
I'll drive a hole through the bottom, and sink yer both."

"No, he won't," whispered Dexter. "Row, Bob, row! He can't reach us,
and he has nothing to throw."

Bob groaned, but he went on rowing; and in his dread took the boat so
near the further side that he kept striking one scull against the muddy
bank, and then, in his efforts to get room to catch water, he thrust the
head of the boat toward the bank where the man was stamping with fury,
and raging at them to go back.

This went on for a hundred yards, and they were still far from the open
river, when the man gave a shout at them and ran on, disappearing among
the low growth on the bank.

"Now, Bob, he has gone," said Dexter excitedly, "pull steadily, and as
hard as you can. Mind and don't run her head into the bank, or we shall
be caught."

Bob looked up at him with a face full of abject fear and misery, but he
was in that frame of weak-mindedness which made him ready to obey any
one who spoke, and he rowed on pretty quickly.

Twice over he nearly went into the opposite bank, with the risk of
getting the prow stuck fast in the clayey mud, but a drag at the left
scull saved it, and they were getting rapidly on now, when all at once
Dexter caught sight of their enemy at a part of the creek where it
narrowed and the bank overhung a little.

The man had run on to that spot, and had lain down on his chest, so as
to be as far over as he could be to preserve his balance, and he was
reaching out with his hands, and a malicious look of satisfaction was in
his face, as the boat was close upon him before Dexter