“They’ll hear the boat when it starts,” said Dick.
“I’ll drift down the river a bit before I crank up,” spoke Tom. “Come on, everybody.”
They started down the bank, toward their boat, having come to a halt a little distance from it. Suddenly Dick, who was in the rear, uttered an exclamation.
“What is it?” called Tom sharply.
“They’re going away—Skeel and the hermit, and one of them has dropped a piece of paper on the path.”
“A piece of paper!” exclaimed Tom. “We must have that! Here, wait a minute! If they don’t miss it, and come back for it, I’ll get it.”
He crawled cautiously back to his former post of observation behind the screen of bushes.