Part 80 (1/2)

This was soon unloosed after they had climbed in, dripping, and covering the cus.h.i.+ons with mud, but all that was forgotten in the delight of having found the boat.

”Now, Bob, you row softly down and I'll use the boat-hook,” whispered Dexter, as he stood up in the stern, while Bob sat down, seized the oars, and laid them in the rowlocks, ready to make the first stroke, when high above them on the bank they heard a quick, rus.h.i.+ng noise, and directly after, to their horror, there stood, apparently too much dumbfounded to speak, the man they had seen a few minutes before going into the reed hut.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

SECOND-HAND STEALING.

”Here, you, sir! stop!” he roared.

”Pull away, Bob!” whispered Dexter, for Bob had paused, half-paralysed by the nearness of the danger. But he obeyed the second command, and tugged at the oars.

”D'yer hear!” roared the man, with a furious string of oaths. ”Hold hard or I'll--”

He did not say what, but made a gesture as if striking with a great force.

”Don't speak, Bob: pull hard,” whispered Dexter, bending forward in the boat so as to reach the rower, and encourage him to make fresh efforts, while, for his part, he kept his eyes upon the man.

”D'yer hear what I say?” he roared again. ”What d'yer mean by coming here to steal my boat?”

”'Tain't yours,” cried Dexter.

”What? Didn't I buy it of yer and pay for it?”

”You came and stole it while we were asleep, you thief!” cried Dexter again.

”Say I stole yer boat and I'll drown'd yer,” cried the man, forcing his way through the reeds and osiers so as to keep up with them. ”If you don't take that back it'll be the worse for yer. Stop! D'yer hear?

Stop!”

Bob stopped again, for the man's aspect was alarming, and every moment he seemed as if he was about to leap from the high bank.

Fortunately for all parties he did not do this, as if he had reached the edge of the boat he must have capsized it, and if he had leaped into the bottom, he must have gone right through.

Bob did not realise all this; but he felt certain that the man would jump, and, with great drops of fear upon his forehead he kept on stopping as the man threatened, and, but for Dexter's urging, the boat would have been given up.

”I can hear yer,” the man roared, with a fierce oath. ”I hear yer telling him to row. Just wait till I get hold of you, my gentleman!”

”Row, Bob, row!” panted Dexter, ”as soon as we're out in the river we shall be safe.”

”But he'll be down upon us d'reckly,” whispered Bob.

”Go on rowing, I tell you, he daren't jump.”

”You won't stop, then, won't yer?” cried the man. ”If yer don't stop I'll drive a hole through the bottom, and sink yer both.”

”No, he won't,” whispered Dexter. ”Row, Bob, row! He can't reach us, and he has nothing to throw.”

Bob groaned, but he went on rowing; and in his dread took the boat so near the further side that he kept striking one scull against the muddy bank, and then, in his efforts to get room to catch water, he thrust the head of the boat toward the bank where the man was stamping with fury, and raging at them to go back.