The bear looked upon the scene for a moment longer with disapproving eyes and then turned away. For a moment he was seen walking on jammed logs, alternately wading through shallow places, and then he was lost in the darkness.
“There!” Alex. called out to Mose, “you’ve frightened our bear off!”
“Dat yo’ bear?” asked Mose. “Den yo’ keep yo’ animile out our ya’d!”
Although frequently invited to return to the boat, Mose insisted on keeping his place in the tree. Now and then he called out that a bear or a deer was about to board the Rambler, but for the most part he sat still, looking about for more things to be frightened at!
The Rambler was now securely fastened in between the two trees, standing on a level, or floating on a level, rather. There was considerable water under the deck, it having worked its way down through the joints about the hatches, and the boys proceeded to lift all available covers and bail it out.
“How are we ever going to get out of here?” asked Jule, working away with a basin and a sponge. “These trees will hold us forever.”
“We’ll have to cut them down, Silly!” answered Case. “Just as soon as the water goes down, we’ll crawl out on one of the mattresses and fix the propellers.”
“Mattresses!” answered Jule. “They drifted away long ago.”
“Look ahead and see,” remarked Case, and Jule did so.
The willow and brake mattresses which had been towed down stream were loose from the motor boat, but they were in sight, having lodged against the mud bank farther in the swamp. They could be reached, the boys figured, by a little wading after the flood subsided, which it was certain to do before long.