“He may be waiting for darkness,” Case suggested. “In that case, he ought to be here soon. He must be hungry.”
“He surely will, and we’ll keep supper waiting for him in this cabin all night,” said Alex “When the outlaws had me pinched, they didn’t give me anything to eat. I’ll get even for that!”
The night passed slowly, drearily, and Clay did not come. As the reader understands, all through the dark hours, the boy lay bound in a tent not far from the west shore of the east river.
Shortly after daylight, breakfast being over, the boys began planning for a visit to the shore.
The canoe and the rowboat were both on the bank still in plain sight.
“You swim over and get the boats, Jule,” Case said. “You haven’t had as many open air baths as we have since we started on this trip.”
“Now, boys,” interposed Captain Joe, “I wouldn’t touch those boats if I were you. If there are any outlaws in those woods at all, they’re watching those boats. The first boy that swims up to one of them will be captured.”
“Then we’ve all got to swim,” declared Case ruefully.
“We’re getting used to it this time,” cried Alex
“I don’t believe there’s any one over there,” Jule said. “They wouldn’t keep still so long.”