"Free at last!" cried Tom. "Now what's the next move?"
"We must find the proper channel into the bayou," answered the owner of the launch.
Dick and Tom went to the front with their poles and the power was turned to a slow speed forward. The Rovers felt their way in the water with the poles, calling to turn to the right or the left, as the case required. By this means they soon left the treacherous mud bars behind and reached a point where forward progress was more certain.
"Now then, let us look around and see if we can find any traces of the Dora," said Dick.
"The houseboat couldn't have come over that spot—she would have been stuck sure," said Fred.
"Years ago Solly Jackson used to be a riverman," said Harold Bird. "He would probably know exactly how to get the houseboat into the bayou. Gasper Pold couldn't run the craft himself, so he had to take in a fellow like Solly."
As the gasoline launch entered the bayou all kept their eyes on the alert, and presently Songbird set up a shout:
"Look over yonder—there are some sort of marks on the bank!"
He was right, and they turned the launch in the direction indicated, advancing slowly. There was a sharp cut in the mud and also several pole holes which looked to be rather fresh. A few feet further on they came to a piece of a pole painted blue.
"That settles it," exclaimed Dick. "They certainly brought the houseboat in here. Our poles were painted blue, and that is a piece of one."