This remark frightened the two rascals more than anything that had been yet said or done. It seemed to indicate a determination to inflict some sort of punishment upon them, and if these three excited persons believed that their companion had been made away with, there was nothing to prevent them from taking summary vengeance upon their captives, and throwing their bodies to the alligators. On these lonely waters they could expect no help.
“I tell you,” said one of the young men, very earnestly, “it’s all truth that we’ve been sayin’. The whole thing was a lark, and we wouldn’t ’a’ done it if we hadn’t been drinkin’. We was a-sayin’ just before we seed you comin’ after us that we was sorry we took your boat, and if there was a good wind to-morrer, we’d overhaul you and give her back to you. We haven’t hurt none of your things, and we’ve fed your little bears with the milk we brought along for ourselves.”
“Yes,” said Adam, grimly; “that’s because you wanted to raise ’em and sell ’em.”
“No,” said the other. “We was a-goin’ to give ’em back to you.”
No answer was made to this palpable falsehood, and every one seemed to hesitate before making the next move. Then Adam spoke up.
“We’ve got to talk this thing over,” said he to Phil and Phœnix. Then, turning to the untidy young men, he told them to get into their own boat, and pull her out of ear-shot. “And mind you don’t try to get away,” he added, as the fellows scrambled into the Maggie; “for if you do I’ll put a dozen buckshot into you before you know it.”
One of the young men poled his boat away until Adam called to him to stop, and then our three friends sat down to talk the matter over. There was a gentle current in the stream, and the two boats floated slowly along without diminishing the distance between them.
“What do you both think about it?” asked Phil, nervously.
“I think they are a pair of scoundrels,” said Phœnix, “and they ought to be knocked on the head.”
“We can’t do that,” said Adam, “though I’d shoot ’em quick enough if it had to be done to save any of us; but I feel pretty sure that Chap’s all right, though the story of these fellers is an out-and-out lie. They just took the boat from him, and made off with it, and that’s all there is about it.”