Van seized his rifle and turned his gaze to the shore.
Standing at the edge of a clump of tall reeds was Doc Clancy!
[CHAPTER V.]
THE EXPLORING PARTY.
As soon as Van Vincent beheld Doc Clancy on the shore of the river he raised his rifle to shoot the villain in his tracks.
But before he could cover him a chorus of yells rang out, and half a dozen white men and a score of blacks burst from the cover of the reeds and fired a volley at those in the boat.
This so disconcerted our hero that he toppled over backward and landed in a heap in the bottom of the boat.
Doc Clancy took it for granted that the boy had been hit by a bullet, and a shout of triumph left his lips.
But none of the shots fired from the shore had harmed our three friends. The mate, who had fallen first, had only been grazed on the side of his head by the bullet from Clancy's rifle.