“You’d better take care how you dive,” he said to Phœnix, reaching up as he spoke and taking hold of the side of the boat. “The bottom is horrid. It’s all covered with oysters, and it won’t do to get any of the water in your mouth, for it’s salt.” “Why, didn’t you know that?” said Phœnix, who was not quite ready to go in. “This river is really only an arm of the sea, and all those big fish we caught the other day came in from the ocean.” “Yes, I remember Adam’s telling about it,” said Chap, “but I forgot it. I don’t believe I care to swim in such water as this. It isn’t like the ocean, and it isn’t like the real, honest river. The water isn’t very deep out here, but it seemed sort of scary to me when I went down.” “I guess that’s because of the queer things you know are in the river,” suggested Phœnix. “I shouldn’t wonder if that was it,” said Chap. Just at this moment a sound was heard in the river that made the boys jump. It was the noise of something rushing through the water, and, looking around, they saw part of the back and tail of a great fish, which was surging along at a tremendous rate toward the boat. Chap instinctively pulled himself up by his hands, and Phœnix made a frenzied clutch at his arm and jerked him out of the water and over the side of the boat before Chap knew what he intended to do. The fish swept within ten feet of them, and then making a turn, it seemed to shake itself as if with disappointment and anger, and, dashing along like a steamboat for a short distance, it raised its tail in the air and disappeared. “What was that thing?” asked Chap, as soon as he could find voice to speak. “Can’t say,” answered Phœnix, his face still pale, “unless it was a shark.” “It couldn’t be that,” returned Chap. “It must have been a porpoise, or something of that kind.” “Porpoises don’t chase people,” said Phœnix, “and that creature came after you, Chap. He must have seen you when you made your dive, and it’s lucky for you that he didn’t start sooner.” “That’s so,” said Chap. “Let’s pull up the anchor and pole her ashore. No more swimming in these waters for me!” The boys quickly dressed themselves and hauled on the long anchor rope until they had pulled the boat into water where they could reach the bottom with their pole. Then pushing her in, they made her fast to the shore, and went to work to gather up their fish and make things clean and tidy. While they were thus engaged, Phil and Adam, hot and flushed, made their appearance from the woods. The astonishment of Chap and Phœnix when their companions ran to them and proudly held up the little bears is not to be described. “Isn’t this something like a bear-hunt?” cried Phil. “Killed an old one, and carried off these youngsters. To be sure, Adam did it all, but I gave him moral support.”