“I don’t see what we can do. I don’t know whether we are going across or down the river, and I can’t tell from which direction the sound is coming.”
The whistle could now be heard distinctly every few moments, and presently they decided that it was astern. “In that case,” said Allan, “we are going down the river, for that must be one of the delayed night boats, and it will be best for us to keep to the west. We couldn’t have gone far enough out to get into the track of the steamers.” The course of the Arabella was turned slightly to starboard, and then the boys were thrown into new confusion by finding that the whistle was sounded on the port side. The rumble of the paddle had grown very distinct.
Allan turned the Arabella farther to the starboard, drawing in the sheet.
“We must make some noise—all the noise we can,” said Allan; “it will be better than any signal. They would never see us in time.” Thereupon Allan took two of their pans and began clashing them together as violently as he could. McConnell took two flat pieces of wood from the bottom of the boat and produced sounds like pistol shots by clapping them together. But the rumble of the paddle wheels grew louder, until Allan began straining his eyes for a sight of the approaching danger. He had never fancied it could be so difficult to tell the direction from which sound came in a fog.
“They hear us!” shouted Allan.
Several quick blasts came from the steamer whistle, the paddles turned slower, and then stopped. At the same moment the bow of a steamer seemed suddenly to grow out of nothing within a hundred feet of them, and the whistle was giving a resounding roar.
“They are passing us—it’s all right!” cried Allan, with an excited laugh. Indeed, the paddles had started again.
“Now for the shore.”
“Which shore?” asked McConnell.
“The west shore. We couldn’t risk going across yet.” Allan, with the hint offered by the wake of the steamer, turned the Arabella so as to head southwest. As nearly as he could guess, this was at right angles to the course he had established in getting away from the convict.