"Then speak of the Gem as 'her' and the alligator as 'it,'" Betty directed. "But I believe Mollie's plan is the only one we can adopt. We must follow along the bank. Only I hope, if the alligator does let go, it won't be in the middle of the river, for then our boat would float down, and it might lodge on the other shore. Then we would be as badly off as we are now. Oh, what a predicament! We seem to be getting into nothing but trouble of late."
"Never mind," consoled Amy. "Maybe this will be the last."
"It's a comfort to think so, anyhow," agreed Grace. "I wonder why an alligator ran off with our boat?"
"A mere accident," was Betty's opinion. "Probably the creature was swimming along shore, and became entangled in our anchor rope. It may be as much frightened as we are distressed. But come on, if we're going to try to get the boat."
Stumbling over the uneven way, the girls raced along the river bank. Sometimes the boat appeared to be coming close in shore, and again it would veer out.
"I've just thought of something!" exclaimed Amy as they came up nearly opposite the boat, for it was being towed more slowly now, as though the creature having it in charge found it harder work.
"Then do, for goodness sake, tell us what it is," demanded Mollie. "I'm about played out."
"If we threw stones on the other side of the alligator—I mean across, between him and the other shore—it might scare him over this way."
"Oh!" screamed Grace. "Don't you dare scare him over here!"
"I didn't mean right here," went on Amy. "I only meant farther in toward this shore. Then he might run aground and we could wade out and get the boat."