“Why, that’s plain enough, Mr Rodd, sir. Down with the stream yon way.”
“But that must be down-stream.”
“Nay, not it, my lad. The river winds, and so did my head. Here, I’m all of a maze still. No, I aren’t. Here, I’m blest! Why, you are right, sir. That is up-stream, and— Hooray, my lads! One pole will do, to steer. We are going to be carried back again, for the tide’s turned and running up steady.”
A very little search resulted in their coming upon a bed of canes, out of which four were cut and trimmed, supplying them with good stout poles twelve or fourteen feet long, and laying these along the thwarts the men, glad now of the exercise to drive out the chill, insisted upon Rodd getting into the boat while they waded through the mud by her side, half lifting, half thrusting, and succeeded at last in getting her to where a sloping portion of the bank ran down to the river.
“Now all together, my lads,” cried Joe. “Keep step, and hold her well in hand, for she’ll soon begin to slide; and as soon as she reaches the water, jump in. Make ready. I’ll give the word.”
“Stop!” shouted Rodd. “What about the crocodiles?”
“Oh, murder!” cried Joe. “I forgot all about them. Well, never mind. This aren’t no time to be nice. It’s got to be done, so here goes.”
Rodd seized one of the poles, and going right to the bows knelt down in the bottom, and holding the pole lance fashion, prepared to try and use it.
“That won’t be no good, my lad,” cried Joe. “Now, my lads—one, two, three! Off she goes!”
They ran the gig quickly down the muddy slope, and as they touched the water and the foremost part began to float they took another step or two, gave her a final thrust, and sprang in, just as Rodd realised the truth of the sailor’s words, for as they glided out with tremendous force, before they were a dozen yards from the water’s edge the gig’s stem collided just behind two muddy-looking prominences that appeared above the surface of the water, and as the shock sent the boy backwards over the next thwart the boat, which was bounding up and down with the result of the men springing in, received another shock from something dark which rose out of the water, and then they glided on past a tremendous ebullition and were carried onward by the rising tide.