“Come on! I think I see a way out of this!” cried Jack. “Anyway, it won’t hurt to try it!”
“What do you propose to do?” questioned Fred quickly.
“See that big tree? It leans right over the river and some of the branches touch one of the trees on the other side.”
“Hurrah! That’s the thing to do!” burst out Randy. “I don’t believe that bull will follow us across the stream.”
“I don’t think so myself. Anyway, we can try getting over. We won’t be any worse off on that side of the water than we are on this.”
Jack led the way with all possible speed, and one after another his cousins followed him. It was not difficult to get into the next tree; but climbing out on the sloping trunk and then out on the limbs which brushed those from the tree on the other side of the stream was not so easy. Jack made the first swing and Andy followed. Then came the other twin.
“Be careful, Fred!” yelled Jack, as he saw his cousin swing downward.
He had scarcely spoken when there was a crack of wood as the limb upon which the youngest Rover had depended snapped. But Fred swung himself outward and then caught tight hold of a limb below those upon which the others rested.
“Safe?” queried Jack eagerly.
“I—I guess so!” panted Fred. “Gee, but that was a close shave!”