“Oh, we wouldn’t think of that,” said Chap, rather contemptuously, looking up at the craft they had left. “Your boat is entirely too small for us, and this suits us first-rate. It’s a regular little yacht.” “Yes,” said the other, looking around him, “she’s a mighty comfortable boat.” After examining the little bears, and asking a few more questions, the two young men stepped ashore and walked up to their own boat. Chap thought they were going to re-embark, but this they did not do. They loaded themselves with some pouches and flasks, a basket containing canned food of various kinds, a bag of flour, and a few articles of wearing apparel. These things they brought down to The Rolling Stone, and, much to Chap’s surprise, they put them all aboard. “What are you about?” cried our friend, springing to his feet. “We’re goin’ to trade boats,” said one of the young men, as he stepped on board. “No, you are not!” cried Chap, in great excitement. And then, at the top of his voice, he gave a wild shout, hoping that Adam or the boys might hear him. “Push her off!” said the young man on board to the one on shore. And in a moment The Rolling Stone was floating in one or two feet of water. The other young man now scrambled on deck, and, having pulled the anchor on board, he came aft, where Chap was already engaged in endeavoring to put his companion overboard. Both men now threw themselves on Chap, and, in a very short time, that unfortunate fellow was floundering in the shallow water. Rising to his feet, he made a rush toward the boat, and would have boarded her had not the muzzle of a shot-gun been pointed at his head. “Just you stay where you are,” said the young man with the gun, as the other seized the pole and pushed The Rolling Stone out into deep water. “If you hadn’t hollered for your fellers we’d ’a’ put some of your things ashore, but we haven’t time for that now. Good-by.” And putting down his gun, the speaker took the tiller, while his companion hauled up the main-sail, and in about a minute The Rolling Stone was scudding down the river before a strong north wind. At first Chap stood bewildered. His mind could scarcely comprehend the fact that there were two men in the world who would do the thing that these young men had just done. To throw him out of his own boat, and make off with it before his eyes! Could it all be real? But he did not long stand still. His active nature made it necessary for him to do something. If he had had a gun he would have fired after the rascals, but as it was he could do absolutely nothing by himself, and the first thing to be thought of now was to let the others know what had happened. Giving a last look at the retreating boat, he saw that one of the young men was pouring what appeared to be milk in a tin basin. The villains knew that the bears were hungry, and as they had milk with them, they evidently intended to feed them and bring them up as their own.