“You don’t see anything green, do you?” was Alex’s answer. “If you want us why don’t you come and take us?”
“We can do that, too, but we thought we’d give you a chance for your lives.”
“Never mind the chance,” Jule called back. “If you have nothing more to offer, perhaps you’ll get out of the way. We’re going to want the space you occupy in about a minute. We’ve got business down the river.”
“All right!” the robber answered. “Have it your own way, but you must not expect any favors from us if you keep up your impudent talk. We’ve had about enough of that already.”
“Go as far as you like,” was Jule’s reply.
“It beats the Old Scratch that we have to get into the clutches of river pirates wherever we go,” said Case. “One would suppose that some one of the rivers visited would be free of them.”
“Now,” said Clay, “suppose we give them a little fireworks. It will be just the thing for their systems, don’t you think?”
“Sure!” exclaimed Alex.
The boy ran into the cabin and returned almost immediately with several sticks of dynamite in his arms.
Buck and Rube did not wait for the stuff to be placed on the deck. They began climbing over the railing.