“I’ve wanted to explore it ever since you boys told me about seeing the boat in the mangroves on the other side,” Kitty said.
“No time to explore now,” Brad stated rather shortly. “If I ever get you out of this saboteurs’ nest I’ll never bring you into the marshes again—till the war’s over.”
Kitty laughed. “I’m not afraid, Brad. What’s there to be afraid of now?”
Even as she spoke there came a pinging sound, piercing and sharp above the howl of the wind. Almost simultaneously Brad groaned and slapped his hand to his shoulder as he toppled backward into the bottom of the boat. The oar slipped from his limp fingers and bobbed off on the tide.
“Lie down, Kit! Lie down!” he ordered even as he fell.
“Brad, are you hurt?” she wailed.
With his right hand he seized her arm and pulled her to the bottom of the boat beside him. The hand was wet with blood from the wound in his shoulder.
“He got me all right. But keep low! Don’t lift your head above the gunwale.”
Two more shots came whistling across the boat.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” stated Brad desperately.