“Did you hear that?” he asked.
Case nodded and turned back to the east.
“It sounded like a gun,” he exclaimed. “I’m going back to the boat.”
Alex held him back and pointed toward the settlement below.
“We may as well see about the spark plugs,” he advised. “It won’t take us very much longer. That noise may be only hunters, anyway.”
Trying their best to conceal their excitement, the boys moved down the slope to the river bank and stopped on a level platform before the store door. The shots were now coming in a volley.
CHAPTER II.—A “FRIENDLY” CAPTAIN.
After the departure of Alex and Case, Clay and Jule continued their efforts to get the motor into working order. In the meantime, however, they kept a sharp lookout for the approach of some boat which might possibly supply them with what they needed.
However, they had little hope of relief from any river craft.
“There must be some towns along the river, below the bend,” Jule insisted. “The boys will find some sort of place where motor supplies are sold.”