It was September, so the water was not very cold, and Clay suffered little inconvenience from his bath at that time. His first act was to secrete himself behind the bole of a large hickory tree and watch what was going on in the river.
The Rambler was still drifting down with the current, wheeling this way and that, threatened with destruction nearly every instant. The Hawk, now under full power, was shooting past her, evidently with the intention of heading her off and blocking farther progress.
While the boy looked and waited he saw a white head lifted above the gunwale and the next moment Captain Joe, the bulldog, leaped into the river. Clay gave a low whistle to direct the dog in his direction and stood with his heart in his mouth, almost, waiting to see if the brutes on board the motor boat would fire at the bulldog.
Just at that moment, however, Gid and Mike were busy with sweeps and oars trying to get the Rambler out of an eddy around which it was whirling aimlessly. Jule looked over the gunwale of the boat in a moment and Clay signaled to him from behind the tree. The next moment the bulldog sprang upon Clay in joyful greeting and the two disappeared in the woods.
Jule went back into the cabin and threw himself down on a bunk.
“I don’t believe,” he moaned, “that we’ll ever get the Rambler away from these thieves!”
CHAPTER V.—CAPTAIN JOE ON SHORE.
“I’ll tell you right now,” Alex declared, panting and out of breath in his efforts to keep pace with the long stride of the new-found friend, “that there isn’t anything the matter with the Rambler. There never was anything wrong with the boat, and there never will be. She may be in trouble, but she’s been there before.”
“Yes,” Case added, “and we’ve always gotten her out of her troubles, and we’ll do it again. What’s your name, Mister?” he added, turning to the lanky guide who was forcing them through the thickets at such swift pace.
“My name,” the other replied, “is Hank Beers. I live up in the mountains, and I came down to-day to see about negotiating for a little product I make up there.”