"Look out, boys, he'll shoot ye sure!" said Simon Lundy, in a voice full of fear.
"He has gone," announced Snap.
"Are all of our things safe?" asked Shep, anxiously.
"We'll soon find out," put in Whopper, and leaped from one boat into the other. All made a hasty examination and found everything intact. Even their weapons had not been touched, for which they were exceedingly thankful.
"He wasn't expecting us," explained Giant. "He thought he'd get time later to go through our belongings." And the others concluded that Giant had spoken the truth.
What to do next was a question. Simon Lundy said he did not want to follow the negro, since the rascal was armed and evidently full of fight.
"I'll go after him if the others will," said Shep, and the upshot of the matter was that the four boys went on a hunt, leaving the cowardly farmer to watch the two boats. The boys went deep into the woods and even to the road beyond, but saw nothing of the rascal that had disappeared.
"He will be on his guard now and keep out of sight," said Whopper.
"I'll bet he don't show himself again in two years."
"Make it ten years while you are at it, Whopper," said Snap, drily.
"Well, do you think he will show up?"