“Pepper him when he comes up,” cried Brick, excitedly.
For half a minute there was silence. The boys eagerly scanned the opposite shore. Then, thirty feet diagonally down stream, something white slipped out of the water, and dodged like a flash into the bushes.
“What beastly luck!” cried Jerry. “I never dreamed of his coming up away down there. He’s out of reach now.”
“And we can’t get across,” moaned Brick. “Good-by to the watch. I wish I had fired when I had the chance.”
“Hold on!” suddenly cried Hamp. “We’ve got a show yet.”
He ran swiftly down stream to a point some twenty feet below, and opposite to the place where Sparwick had left the water.
Jerry and Brick followed at a slower pace, wondering what was in the wind. They understood as soon as they caught up with Hamp. Here the Mallowgash abruptly widened. It was frozen hard from shore to shore with the exception of a six-foot channel in midstream. Through this the water poured with a swift, steady rush.
“Don’t be a fool,” expostulated Jerry. “You’ll throw your life away.”
“The watch ain’t worth the risk,” added Brick. “Let it go.”
“Don’t worry about me,” cried Hamp. “That’s an easy jump. Don’t you fellows try to follow me, though.”