“Good huntin’,” nodded the sheriff, satisfaction in his tone. “Now, let’s hope the men are aboard. Say, what is that other boat near it?”
Terry looked and then shouted, “That’s my boat—my friends’ boat, the Lassie. I guess they were looking for me and somehow they got down the river. I wonder what they are going to do?”
They could see the sloop making for the barge, with Captain Blow standing on the bow. Don and Jim stood in the cockpit, Don holding onto the tiller. The sloop was drifting. They heard the captain call out.
“Ahoy there, barge! Hand over that boy of ours!”
The three members of the barge’s crew appeared from the cabin at his hail. Ryder walked to the rear rail and shook his fist at Captain Blow. Todd and Maxwell picked up handles from the hand winch and waited.
“You keep off o’ here!” they heard Ryder snarl. “We ain’t got your darned old boy. Do you hear? Keep off!”
Captain Blow turned to the boys back of him. “Get ready to board ship!” he roared.
Terry grasped the sheriff by the arm. “They’re no match for that crew! Let’s hurry up!”
“Don’t worry, son,” said the sheriff. “I’ll see that no one gets hurt.”