Inside of ten minutes the whole four were splashing in the river close to the bank. The water was cool and invigorating, and, being l.u.s.ty boys, they certainly seemed to enjoy it.
Frank saw to it that no one stayed in too long; and after getting aboard they rubbed down with towels brought for this very purpose. Then every one declared himself as hungry as a bear, and preparations for breakfast were in order.
As Jerry had const.i.tuted himself chief cook for the trip, to be relieved at intervals by one of the others, Bluff volunteered to lay in a supply of firewood for the little stove.
"Give me the axe, and I"ll go ash.o.r.e to cut up a log," he remarked.
Frank was secretly amused to see that the fire-eater also carried his gun ash.o.r.e with him. Evidently he had a little suspicion that the bothersome man might be still hovering around the vicinity, and would have to be "shooed off" by a threatening display of hardware, in the shape of a gun that could shoot six times without being removed from the shoulder.
Presently the steady strokes of the axe told that Bluff was exercising his muscles to good advantage, and that they could count on at least two days" supply of firewood as a result of his labors.
The breakfast was "prime," everybody admitted; and Jerry was advised to keep a line or two out for stray catfish every time they tied up for a stop. There were buffalo fish to be caught, Mr. Whittaker had a.s.sured them, that, while a little coa.r.s.e, would be found good eating; and all of them happened to be rather fond of fish as a diet, which was a good thing, under the circ.u.mstances.
"It isn"t such a hard job to get a start on the old boat, anyhow,"
remarked Jerry, as with poles they pushed away from the bank, until the slow current near the sh.o.r.e began to catch them in its grip, and they found the _Pot Luck_ moving.
Once they had attained the proper distance from sh.o.r.e, really there was little to do all day long, but keep an eye on things, and make sure the boat did not turn sideways to the stream.
By keeping away from the channel they avoided all danger from such boats as pa.s.sed up or down the river.
During the morning Will, who had been looking steadily back over the course they had come, called the attention of the others to something which he seemed to think merited their notice.
"That d.i.n.ky little power-boat yonder keeps hovering just so far behind us," he said, uneasily.
"Well, the fellows aboard have a right to go and come just as they please," Frank remarked, though he gave the object in question a long look, and then went into the cabin for the field gla.s.ses.
"Sometimes he comes as close as he is now," Will went on to say; "and then he seems to stop still, till you can hardly see him in the dim distance, when he"ll start up again. I think sometimes they"re fishing, and anchor in favorite places. Then again I seem to think that perhaps he may be aboard."
"By that you mean our visitor of last night, Marcus Stackpole, I reckon?" Jerry asked.
"What do you see, Frank; any fellow without his head-covering on?" Bluff inquired, at the same time.
"There seem to be several men aboard, but I don"t see them fishing,"
Frank replied. "The fact is, one of them just pointed down the river; but whether he was calling the attention of the others to this boat, or something else, I can"t say."
He took another look through the field gla.s.ses, and immediately laughed.
"Well, one of them has something in his hands now that looks like the gla.s.ses I"m handling," he said. "Yes, and there he goes, leveling it at us!"
"That settles it!" exclaimed Jerry. "They"re interested in this boat, and, ten to one, the fellow we had aboard last night came from that same launch. Well, if that doesn"t knock the high persimmon down, though! We thought this M. S. was a common, every-day tramp; and here it turns out that he owns a private power yacht, and can go cruising on his own hook, just where he likes."
"Tell you what, boys," remarked Will; "chances are, he"s some sort of rascal, perhaps a real river pirate; and that squatty little power-boat is being used for robbery on the big water highway!"
"Well, the boat looks dingy and dark, like all buccaneer craft are, they say, you know," Will went on, quite undismayed by this reception of his startling theory.
Frank himself was more than puzzled. He could not seem to get an inkling as to what the truth might be.
The little launch far away up the river did seem to be acting very strangely. And those aboard were certainly curious with regard to the _Pot Luck_, for they had their gla.s.ses trained on the houseboat at different times. Then, apparently, the power-boat was anch.o.r.ed again, for the boys began drawing further and further away from it, until the haze of distance seemed to entirely obliterate the suspicious craft from their observation.
"Why don"t they come right along, and pa.s.s us by?" asked Will.
"That"s a part of the game, it seems," ventured Jerry; "just to hang around, and wait for another chance to creep aboard this jolly old rover. But make up your minds, fellows, we"ll be ready to give "em a warm reception."
"Yes," broke in Bluff, "and if I only had a chance to fire at long range, I"d be tempted to let "em feel how hot shot can get, when fired from a real gun!" and he gave Jerry an odd look as he said this.
The boys decided that since the day was rather warm they would do with a cold "snack" at noon, leaving the getting of dinner until evening arrived, with its cooling airs.
Bluff was perched high up in the bow, and engaged in eating his second ham sandwich, while he observed a steamboat turning a bend far below, and made some humorous remarks concerning river pilots in general.
Jerry leaned against the sweep, and was supposed to be watching to see that the boat did not swerve too much while moving steadily along in the current. Frank and Will were inside, cutting a fresh supply of bread, with which to make their second helping, the boiled ham coming in very handy for the purpose; and some cold coffee left over from the early morning meal answering for a drink.
Frank had just risen to his feet, and was taking the first bite out of his sandwich when he heard a screech from without, and felt a sudden shock.
Will gave a shout, and let the knife with which he was carving the ham, fall on the table.
"They"re boarding us, Frank!" he called out, as they both darted for the door, pa.s.sing through together, and appearing on the deck; where they found Jerry making all sorts of strenuous efforts to swing the boat around, as she seemed to be broadside to the current.
As Frank looked around, the first alarming thing he noticed was that Jerry seemed to be utterly alone on deck; and yet a minute before he had surely heard the voice of Bluff calling out to the one at the sweep.
Bluff had certainly disappeared.
CHAPTER VIII-FACE TO FACE AT LAST
"What happened?" cried Frank, unable to understand why the boat acted so queerly, and seemed trying to head up-stream again.
"Must be a snag has hold of her, and is trying to turn her around!"
grunted the straining Jerry; thereby acknowledging that he had not kept as good a lookout ahead as a careful pilot should, or he would certainly have known where a snag lay hidden, by the swirl of water about it.
"Where"s Bluff?" cried Will.
"Oh! reckon he went over to see what sort of a snag it was!" replied Jerry.
Then Frank remembered that the last thing he had seen of Bluff he was perched on the bulwark of the boat, with his back down the river, and enjoying his second relay of lunch.
"He"s been knocked overboard by the sudden stop of the boat!" he exclaimed, making a rush for the bow.
As he looked over, he discovered the object of his anxiety holding on to the stem of the craft with desperate zeal. Doubtless, as he was sent flying, losing his balance, Bluff had had the good sense to let his sandwich go, and seize the first projection he could find, to prevent his being carried under the bulky craft, if she continued on down-stream.
"I"m here, right-side up with care, Frank!" he spluttered; "and I don"t like it any too well, either. So please reach me your helping hand, and give a pull."
Frank called to Will to hurry over and help, for he realized that Bluff, with all his clothes thoroughly soaked, would be too much of a load for one.
So together they drew him up, none the worse for his ducking, save that he must change his clothes.