“You see,” Case went on, “the trees will hold the boat up, like it was in a dry dock, and we can fix the propellers and the leak and then chop down the trees and get out. Perhaps we can follow this channel out to the river. If there wasn’t an opening somewhere, the current here wouldn’t be so fierce!”
“There may be a channel,” Clay agreed, “but if there is it must be full of standing trees and hidden snags. If we ever get out of here, we’d better run back to the main channel, and keep out of such holes in future!”
“There wouldn’t be any fun in river trips,” laughed Alex., swinging an axe at the head of a water snake which was trying to get up on the deck, “if it wasn’t for the adventure there is in it! I wouldn’t have missed this for anything!”
With the last word of this endorsement of the situation on his lips Alex. took a header over the gunwale of the boat into the water! A great trunk had bunted the Rambler on the port side, and she had tipped so as to knock the boy off his feet and over the railing before he could make up his mind what was coming off!
“Wow!” cried Clay, as the boy came, spluttering to the surface.
“You wouldn’t miss this for anything!” roared Case.
“Bring a couple of snakes and an alligator out with you!” requested Jule.
Mose, sitting on the limb, high up in the tree, called down to the boy that a water snake was trying to get into his pocket, and that an alligator was nosing about his leg.
Disregarding all comment and advice, Alex. crawled back on deck and sat looking wrathfully into the flood. But his anger did not last long.
“If that log hadn’t come along,” he said, “I should have forgotten my bath. When it comes daylight, I’m going to get up a race with that alligator, with the snake as referee! Mose can enter if he wants to!”