“Can’t wait too long. It’s a tidy swim, and the river gits wider every mile.”
She recoiled from him in horror. For the past hour she had been dreaming of the comforts and joys of civilization. Once in the river, escape had seemed certain—and here was her pugnacious jailer with determination written all over his set features.
“I’m waiting,” he said calmly.
“Are you mad?” she retorted. “I’m finished with that terrible life. This time you have come too late. Unless you go ashore now there will not be another chance.”
“Then we’ll go right now.”
“We!”
“Yep—you and me.”
He moved towards her and caught her firmly by the arm. A group of men, interested spectators of the drama, thought it was time to 176 interfere. One of them, a grizzled man of fifty, touched Jim on the arm.
“What’s all this, stranger?”
“Don’t butt in,” growled Jim.