“And I aren’t much better, zir. You zee, we landed and slept on the road, and that took up time; but I’ve allowed us three days and nights as being plenty to get down to the zea; and that means tying up to the bank when the river’s again’ uz—I mean, when we come to where the tide runs, for we should knock ourzelves up trying to pull this heavy, lumbering old boat against the stream.”
Nic nodded, as he kept on looking anxiously astern; but he said nothing, and they rowed steadily on.
“Zay, Master Nic,” said Pete suddenly.
“Yes.”
“Getting hot, aren’t it?”
“Terribly.”
“Well, I can’t zay that, zir, because the zun aren’t shining now on a zlave’s back; it’s on a free man’s, and that makes all the differ. But what are you thinking about?”
“The possibility of seeing another boat coming round the bend of the river.”
“It’s unpossible, zir. The gaffer hadn’t got no other boat to come in. I believe we was the only other planters up the river, and that there’ll be no boat till we come to the places where we stayed of a night, and it’s a zight nearer the zea. I keep on thinking, though, a deal.”
“What about—our escaping?”