“Of course,” Clay said stubbornly, “of course! I was only thinking how. There surely must be some way.”
“Where are Case and Jule?” Alex now asked.
“I don’t know!” was the reply. “I went away to look up something to eat, and when I came back, they were not here.”
“They probably went after something to eat, too!” Alex suggested.
“No,” Clay went on, “I was to bring back provisions, if I succeeded in finding any. When I returned, Captain Joe was here, but they were gone.”
“That’s strange!” Alex muttered. “I don’t see why they should leave camp when they were expecting you to bring them something to eat.”
“I don’t think they left the camp voluntarily,” Clay continued. “If you’ll look at the head of the cove, and at the side of the thicket where they were preparing their beds, you’ll see evidences of a struggle.”
“I’ll tell you what it is,” Alex began, “those pirates from the steamer we sunk got down here on that coal tow and swam ashore.”
“That is very likely!” Clay replied. “We know, at least, that two of them were on the coal tow.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy went on, “they saw the fire here, and recognized the Rambler lying just below the barges, and swam ashore to punish us for ramming their old whiskey boat.”