"Oh, Dora, do you think we can get away!" gasped Nellie.
"We must! Do your best, and keep time with me."
"But which way are we going?"
"I don't know, yet. The best we can do is to keep away from the lights of the houseboat."
Stroke after stroke was taken in dire desperation, and after a while they had the satisfaction of seeing the lights of the houseboat fading away in the distance.
All was gloom and mist around them and they stopped rowing, not knowing in which direction to turn next.
"We are lost on the river," said Nellie.
"Yes, but that is better than being in the hands of our enemies," was Dora's answer.
"Yes, Dora, ten times over. But what shall we do next?"
"Let us try to row crosswise with the current. That is sure to bring us to shore sooner or later."