"What made the big noise?" asked Kitty, which was what the Baker had christened the girl.
And Mandeville showed her the revolver in his belt.
"Smith has one like it. It makes a noise and kills men. She came down to the river to tell me about the row as was likely to be, Smith."
"And brought it on right off," said Smith; "and if this hadn't happened we might have got away with tucker and everything else to-morrow. It's cursedly annoying."
And they paddled steadily for half an hour, still keeping as much in the shade as possible. The river ran here between deep-cut, steep banks, lined all the way with very high and heavy timber. As it seemed, there was much scrub as well, and this gave Smith hopes that if they were pursued by land they would not be seen. In any case, the presence of scrub would make pursuit difficult. He wondered what the girl thought of it. She should know how her tribe would act.
"Kitty, what will your people do?" he said, when they took a spell after an hour's steady paddling, which made the sweat pour down them like water. But Smith noticed that the girl, who worked quite as hard, had never turned a hair.
"If they catch us they will take your heads," she said.
"And you?"
"They would kill me unless I said you had taken me against my will, Smith. And I would not say that because I want to go with Baker. I am glad you killed Tommy. I did not like him."
"But do you think they will catch us?" asked Smith, as they began paddling again.