To his surprise, the answer that came back was in the high-pitched notes of a girl.
“Who—who are you?” came in the same girlish voice as the canoe halted, twice its length from the tree.
“Pant—Panther Eye,” replied the boy, not knowing what else to say.
“Oh!”
To the boy’s immense surprise, there was something in the girl’s tone that told plainer than words that to her his name was not strange. More surprising still was the manner in which, at sound of this name, she threw all reserve aside and paddled quickly to the tree and invited him to drop into the stern.
Once he was aboard, she sent her boat shooting away across the river. Ignoring the entrance to the river trail, she drove on down the river and entered the creek, at last bringing her canoe up with a bump at the entrance of the creek trail.
Pant remembered Johnny’s story of the strange Spanish girl who had visited their camp. Something seemed to tell him that this was the same girl. He did not have long to wait.
During all their journey the girl had remained silent. Now she spoke:
“I was here before.”
“I—I thought so,” said Pant. “Why?”